WORKS continued work on the £4million overhaul of Clacton Pier despite freezing temperatures and strong winds last weekend.

A team is busy preparing the landmark for the major facelift, which will be completed by early next year.

The pier said deliveries of material are arriving on a daily basis and the area on the front east side of the site is being made ready for the first part of the project – a new £500,000 adventure golf course.

The adventure golf course, children’s play area, dodgems and a coffee shop are expected to be up and running by July.

Pier director Billy Ball said that the team is working in difficult conditions but they are pressing ahead as much as possible.

“We did lose a bit of time last week in the rain and although the roofers are on site they cannot proceed when the wind is too strong for safety reasons,” he said.

“However, there is plenty of other work taking place down below on the floor and we are able to get on with the programme.

“If the weather does worsen it will slow things up but we are confident we can catch time up at a later stage.”

Around 20 people – roofers, electricians, carpenters, concreters, plumbers, and steelworkers – are on site this week.

The work includes extending the wall that protects the pier from the sea, repairs to concrete posts, cables being run in for a new fire detection system, steel supports being added to the roof and the replacement of the entire water mains.

Mr Ball added: “We always have to make sure that everything is secured down in high winds and have to cover up from the snow where necessary.

“We also have large calor gas heaters which we can use to melt snow to ensure we do not have any great increase in weight on roofing areas.

“It is a case of preparing for the worst that the weather can throw at us – especially when we are undertaking such a huge project.”