A huge fire ripped through the pier in the British coastal town of Eastbourne this afternoon, destroying much of the structure.

Around 40 fire-fighters attended the scene at the blaze broke out in the arcade building.

There are no reported casualties.

The BBC reports that a Sussex Police spokeswoman said: “We are aware of the fire and we are assisting with road closures.”

The pier has stood since the 1870s and previously had a theatre on it.

The pier at Hastings was almost completely destroyed by fire in 2010, and the abandoned West Pier in Brighton burned down in 2003.