Size isn't everything. Southend may boast the longest pier in the world, but Brighton's historic West Pier is the only Grade I listed pier in Britain and supporters say that puts it well and truly in a class of its own.

Leaders of the West Pier Trust are amazed by Sir Teddy Taylor's House of Commons attack on 'rubbishy piers'.

Rachel Clark, general manager of the West Pier Trust, said: "I can't believe he is referring to the West Pier.

"Southend's pier may be the longest, but we have the only Grade I listed building in the country. It is completely unique."

Work is due to start on the long-awaited restoration of the West Pier this spring thanks to a £14.2 million grant from the National Lottery heritage fund and £15 million of private sector money.

Just under £500,000, some of it lottery cash, has already been spent carrying out stabilising work on the structure to ensure it withstood winter storms.

But in Southend an application for lottery money for the Essex resort's pier was turned down three years ago because it failed to meet the necessary criteria.

Tour

Lottery bosses decided the longest pleasure pier in the world was not worthy of a handout because while the structure was intact, the original buildings could not be restored.

The town pleaded its case, saying that thousands of day trippers every year enjoy walking along the pier, which is more than a mile long, but the appeal fell on deaf ears.

A festering wound was reopened a year later when Southend learned Brighton's decaying West Pier would receive a multi-million lottery grant.

Today Southend is adamant its 110-year-old pier still has a case for funding.

Campaigners who have spent years working to save the West Pier can understand the MP standing up for his town, but say he is wrong to do so by rubbishing other piers.

And Rachel Clark has an invitation for Sir Teddy. She said: "He is welcome to come and have a tour of the West Pier and see why it is so special. I would be delighted to show him around. Southend may be very deserving, but the West Pier is recognised as one of the most important piers built in this country. It is listed for its architectural merits and its Grade I status sets it apart from others.

"The huge majority of local citizens want to see the pier restored and the trust has been campaigning since it closed in 1975 to have it reopened.

Interest

"The West Pier is not just something the people of Sussex and Brighton care about, it is important nationally.

"It is already attracting a huge amount of interest from a wide area, not just Sussex. We have taken about 20,000 people on guided tours of the pier over the last three years.

"No way could it be described as rubbishy. It is not the longest pier, but it is unique."

Brighton and Hove mayor Jenny Langston stressed that years of effort had gone into the campaign to save the West Pier.

Coun Langston said: "I am sure most people would agree the West Pier is of national, not just local historical importance, and that is why it is attracting the money to restore it."

Planning permission for the first phase of the work on the West Pier was granted in November and will involve restoring the piles underneath the 134-year-old structure.

It will be followed by work to restore buildings on the pier, and completed with a final phase of development on the shore. If all goes to plan, the pier will reopen in 2002.

The private sector funding is coming from a consortium called Eugenius, which includes the boxer Chris Eubank and property developers Prestbury.

The West Pier is one of 11 piers around the country that have received lottery grants, but the award to the Sussex pier is the largest.

A spokesman for the lottery's heritage fund said: "We look at every project very carefully and we have very strict criteria including value for money, heritage and public benefit. Southend put in an application, but it was rejected."

Speaking after his Commons outburst, Sir Teddy said today: "This is something I feel very strongly about. Some of the piers I have visited are very short; some are little more than extensions of the promenade and full of gaming machines, and yet Southend has the longest pier in the world. We have suffered a fire, we have had vessels crashing into it and yet we haven't had a single penny of lottery money spent on it."

But the MP insisted he had never intended to label the West Pier as 'rubbishy'.

He said: "I am sorry if I have caused offence to the good people of Brighton, but I wasn't thinking of the West Pier when I was talking about rubbishy piers.

"I don't want to start a row in Brighton, I have had a couple of lovely holidays there and my wife thinks it is a wonderful place.

"But I was making the point that Southend has got a unique pier and, when so many other places are getting money, we haven't got a penny. Southend is getting a raw deal."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.