South Parade Pier in Southsea closes popular Kidz Island funfair due to heat and suspends fishing due to 'youth mayhem'

The Kidz Island funfair made the decision not to reopen yesterday day due to the severity of the heatwave, according to the attraction’s owners.

It came after several days of disturbances from huge crowds of youths and teenagers, which led to fishing from the pier being suspended.

Yesterday staff had to resort to putting up barriers to curtail access to points where young people have been hurling themselves from the 18ft structure.

Fighting, drinking, starting fires, vandalising the historic site – staff at the pier said they were ‘extremely frustrated’ with the crowd’s behaviour.

Kim Little, part of the maintenance team on the pier: ‘There are a lot of youngsters on the beach and they are causing mayhem and causing damage to this pier.

‘It’s ridiculous – these kids are out of control.

‘They are frightening anybody who comes on here. If you are here with your family – you don’t want 50 or 60 kids running about.’

The maintenance worker called on police to increase patrols around the pier – or station officers nearby throughout the summer.

He said: ‘Two policemen on a bicycle is not enough to control this.

‘We didn’t see them yesterday – we saw them Friday.

‘It would assist us if there was a presence.’

Mark Laskey, who runs the Best of British Food refreshments van at the end of the pier, said trade had been ‘massively’ impacted by the issue.

He said: ‘I have a third less business than normal – and I should be doing treble my normal business.

‘We’re a small business - we cannot survive like this.’

He added: ‘We do get the occasional police car go past, but as soon as they go, the kids are back. We need a permanent police presence. They manage it in other seaside towns.’

And the business owner pleaded to young people not to jump from the pier – an act that cost a friend his life.

He said: ‘I have watched a friend die jumping off the pier when I was 17.

‘If you tell these kids about that, they aren’t interested.’

A spokesman from Hampshire Constabulary said there was no plan for a dispersal order around the pier, but police patrols have been increased.

He said: ‘We were called on Monday July 18 to two reports of anti-social behaviour on South Parade Pier.

‘At 5.06pm it was reported that a small group of young people were jumping from the end of the pier into the water below.

‘At 5.48pm we received a second report that a group of people were jumping into the water from the pier.

‘South Parade Pier is on our daily patrol plans as part of Operation Nautical and we continue to patrol the area.’

Kidz Island has now reopened, with the rides open from 11am until September 4.