Trespassing, littering and anti-social behaviour on South Shields Pier as it remains closed during pandemic

The gated section of the town’s South Pier has been closed to both anglers and walkers during lockdown and is set to remain shut for weeks to come due to social distancing concerns.

Port of Tyne, which manages the pier, said that due to the pier’s size and shape people would not able to keep two metres away from each other if it was to reopen.

However the section of the pier which connects to the Little Haven promenade does remain open to the public, as it has throughout lockdown.

Despite this Port of Tyne has confirmed that some people have refused to follow the rules and have been trespassing on to the closed section.

Not only that, but such trespassers have been littering and engaging in other antisocial behaviour on the pier.

Concerns have been raised by members of the public that some people were breaching the safety rules in place.

Some residents have called for security to be stepped up on the pier following such incidents, but Port of Tyne said security staff are already in place and carry out a daily safety patrol along the length of both piers.

Port of Tyne has also confirmed that the locked gates at the entrance to the pier also have enhanced signage to make members of the public aware of the risk of trespassing.

A Port of Tyne spokeswoman said: “The North and South Piers remain closed as we are unable to open them in a covid-secured manner.

"We are keeping this under review and will re-open them at the first opportunity.

"The vast majority of the public are understanding of this.”

The spokeswoman continued: “There are large, locked gates at the entrance to each pier and we have enhanced the signage to make members of the public aware of the risks to them of trespassing.

"There is a daily safety patrol along the length of both piers carried out by our own security staff.

"We have seen some trespassing and littering.

"On the South Pier there has been more trespassing, littering and anti-social behaviour.”

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

You can subscribe to this website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app.

With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content.

Simply click ‘Subscribe’ in the menu. You can subscribe to the newspaper with 20% off here. Thank you.