The new owner of an historic pier has said the attraction is due to open on schedule despite problems caused by severe weather and a fire.

Wind and rain has buffeted workers restoring decayed Hastings Pier over the past month but still the effort has carried on.

Ian Stuart bought the pier from receivers earlier this year after its previous owners ran out of money to keep it open.

The newly-restored iron gates to the attraction are due to open to the public in the spring after more than a year of work.

Mr Stuart, 50, is spending millions of pounds repairing the neglected structure and converting it into a traditional seaside venue for tourists.

He said: "The work is going very well and the end of the pier is now virtually complete. The weather has been bad at times but I won't let that affect what we are doing here.

"I have a schedule to keep and I am determined it is met and it will be. Once I set my mind on something, that's it. It gets done with no excuses."

Once complete, 127-year-old Hastings Pier will have a ballroom, tea shops and buskers instead of video games and fruit machines.

Mr Stuart was also called away from the pier last week when his £10m project to transform No Man's Land, a crumbling fortress off the coast of Portsmouth, into a luxury hotel was devastated by a major fire.