Two forklifts fall from Palace Pier into the sea

Two forklift trucks fell from the Palace Pier into the sea this morning (March 4).
By Bex Bastable
Published 4th Mar 2019, 15:07 GMT
Updated 4th Mar 2019, 16:15 GMT
The area where the forklift trucks fell into the sea was sealed off on the pierThe area where the forklift trucks fell into the sea was sealed off on the pier
The area where the forklift trucks fell into the sea was sealed off on the pier

The owner of the Brighton Palace Pier said no-one was injured in the incident.

Anne Ackord, CEO of The Brighton Pier Group, said: "There was an incident today which resulted in two forklifts trucks falling through the perimeter railings.

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"Throughout the year we have a continuous programme of steelwork replacement and the forklifts are used in this process.

The area where the forklift trucks fell into the sea was sealed off on the pierThe area where the forklift trucks fell into the sea was sealed off on the pier
The area where the forklift trucks fell into the sea was sealed off on the pier

"This morning the forklifts were assisting in the positioning of a new 15m truss, which is lowered in the first instance over the side of the pier.

"This is a process that has been carried out hundreds of times but we are looking into how this incident has occurred. Crucially no one was injured or in any danger of being injured and the recovery plan for the forklifts is already in place."

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency was contacted at around 9.30am, and said: "We have been made aware of the incident. It was confirmed that no persons were in the water."

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An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “We are aware of the situation and we are working with our partners to ensure any impact to the environment is kept to a minimum. In this case, the amount of pollution would be small so the impact on the environment would be minimal.”