Tbh, I had to double check which pier. I accidentally went to Blackpool a couple of months ago (wrong train), so impulsively decided to stay the night, went on North Pier the next morning.
The walkways looked to be mid-renovations, some sections appeared to have been recently renewed, some sections were boarded over with sheets of chipboard, forming a sort of long path. I wondered if that might've been a temporary fix/reinforcement, but then on second thought I thought it might be a smoother path for wheelchairs/buggies.
Some of the older, dodgier looking sections had planks that were sort of crumbled/splintered round the edges so there were bigger gaps between the planks there had been previously. I did wonder how safe these older planks sections were, but felt somewhat reassured by the apparent ongoing works, thinking they're replacing and repairing sections, so presumably the bits that are still in use are safe.
And I did give myself a bit of a stern talking to about over-vigilance - I used to work for a law firm that specialised in personal injury cases, so I spot risks wherever I am, I can look round a location and envisage the first five minutes of an episode of Casualty, the bit where you can tell what's going to go wrong.
I do have a bit of a fear of heights, so looking down through the gaps at the sea below made me feel a bit queasy and so I walked on the chipboard sheet boardwalk.
That was North Pier though, and this accident was apparently on Central Pier. I wonder if they have the same owners?
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