A flying machine competition which put a seaside town on the map has been cancelled.

Organisers of the Bognor Birdman say they are unable to go ahead with the contest in July after part of the town's pier was demolished for safety reasons.

They had considered moving the contest to Worthing Pier but decided there was not enough time to reorganise the event.

Committee chairman Barry Jones said: "It is the most terrible thing. It's not quite the end of the world but we are pretty depressed. We are apprehensive as to whether it will ever happen in Bognor again."

Safety work to the pier carried out last month means the pier is now 50ft shorter.

Competitors usually jump off a 35ft drop and need to have 14ft of water beneath them.

The water below the jumpoff point is just under 12ft, raising fears competitors could break their legs or backs jumping into the shallow water.

This year would have been the 30th anniversary of the contest, which attracts competitors and media interest from across the world.

Town mayor Don Eldridge said it would have an impact on businesses, whose trade is normally boosted by the 15,000 visitors to the event.

He said he hoped money could be found to rebuild the pier, enabling Bognor Birdman to go ahead in the future.

He said: "It would take a large chunk of money to rebuild the pier but maybe in the years to come it will be possible."

The pier's owner, John Ayers, has invested money in the structure but some believe investment from public funds is needed.

Bognor Regis Civic Society recently backed a proposal by chairman Laurie Barnes that the regeneration of the pier should be seen as an integral part of the wider regeneration of the town.

Councillor Paul Wells, who sits on Bognor Town Council and Arun District Council, is trying to gather support for the pier's regeneration.

He said: "Economically it brings in a huge amount of publicity to the town and that will be damaged over the course of time."

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