A PIER has reopened ten days after a fire ravaged a historic hotel close by.

Eastbourne Pier was closed after a blaze tore through the Claremont Hotel opposite on November 22.

Though the hotel and a small section of Grand Parade remains cordoned off, access to the pier has now reopened.

An Eastbourne Borough Council spokesman said: "While the main cordon around the Claremont Hotel remains in place with a section of the seafront road closed, access to the pier has been reopened."

Demolition is planned for the hotel soon.