Tourists fume as they're charged 'rip off' price to walk along pier at iconic seaside town
Visitors have been left raging over a £2 charge to visit a popular pier in a busy seaside resort.
Opened in 1899, Brighton Palace Pier is an iconic Brighton landmark and has fairground rides, arcade games and restaurants.
It was free to enter until last year, when tourists started being charged £1 entry between the months of March and September.
But now the price has doubled.
And, although the £2 entry charge includes a £1 voucher to spend on the pier, some visitors are far from happy with the new price, with one even insisting they won't 'go back'.
A reviewer on Tripadvisor described the pier's 'admission charge as a joke'.
'Rajb_UK' wrote: 'What a rip off...lots of people turning around and leaving.
'No wonder the number of visitors on a Bank Holiday Monday was low...won't go back again.'
Another visitor 'HalyconDays' wrote: 'It is some time since we had been on the Palace Pier. We [were] absolutely flabbergasted to find out they were charging £2 a person to get on.'
Visitor 'JJ L' , who left a one star review, said: 'What a scam! What a disappointment that is has become paid!'
'Gregory P' said: 'Absolutely disgusting that they are now charging a fee to walk down the pier!
'You should be ashamed of yourselves. I refuse to come back to the pier until it's free again!'
However, local residents can still access the pier for free all year round, as long as they apply for a special card.
Brighton Palace Pier told the Mirror that people with a BN postcode just need to collect a resident's card from the team at the pier entrance or apply on the website for free entry.
And not everyone was upset by the £2 entry fee.
'KateLondon_9' said: 'First time paying to enter the pier but you do get money off the rides. There's plenty to do - arcade games, rides, food and drinks.'
'Michael B' wrote: 'This is a piece of history that should and has been preserved for many more years of enjoyment.
'Great to spend some time in the old penny arcade playing the vintage games. Great outlook over the ocean.'
The pier team told The Mirror: 'The pier is a substantial structure and in recent years maintenance cards have risen by more than a third.
'The admission fee is critical in helping to meet the unique challenges and costs of preserving the pier's structural integrity as well as continuing to remain as an all-year-round attraction.'
Brighton Palace Pier is currently the city's fourth-best rated attraction on Tripadvisor with four out of five stars.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Georgia Toffolo's husband James Watt shares sweet post dedicated to his wife as he declares she was 'born to be a step-mum' to his daughters after family night out at Dua Lipa
James Watt has shared an emotional dedication to his wife Georgia Toffolo following a family night out with his two daughters at a Dua Lipa concert. The Brewdog founder, 43, declared that his partner, 30, was 'born' to be a step-mother after watching how she looks after his children. James explained how 'exhausted' Georgia attended the gig following a busy week at Ascot races and got fully involved with proceedings. The businessman admitted that being a parent to his children at her age 'probably wasn't on her bingo card', but she has embraced it all the same. Alongside a video of her dancing at the concert, he wrote: 'This is my wife, Georgia Toffolo. We took the kids to Dua Lipa on Saturday & Georgia's two nieces came along too, which meant she had four very excitable girls in tow. 'She'd just done a full week at Ascot (which sounds like a jolly, but I can now officially confirm is absolutely exhausting). 'She wore the matching t-shirt (non-negotiable apparently). She rocked the earrings our youngest made for her (not available at Tiffany, but priceless). 'She danced like no one was watching - except two little girls who absolutely were. She held their hands through 80,000 people. 'Made them feel seen, safe, and totally part of it. And then today she threw an epic birthday party for my 11-year-old, then took all the girls to an amazing event to meet their favourite author. 'Being a stepmum at 30 probably wasn't on her bingo card… but my goodness, she was born to do it. 'There's no way to describe the feeling of watching the woman you love being loved so deeply by the two most precious people in your world. 'Blended families don't just happen. They're built with intention, effort, and a ridiculous amount of love. Georgia has been all in since day 1.' The couple tied the knot on March 1 after James popped the question during a getaway to Greece last year for Georgia's birthday. At the time, Georgia revealed she has married James after the couple eloped to North East Scotland. The pair got engaged in October after the millionaire proposed with an exquisite eight carat triple-diamond studded band estimated to be worth £200,000. During her busy week at Royal Ascot, Georgia showed off her 'most outrageous look ever' as she arrived for day three of the races on Thursday. She braved the heatwave in a gigantic white and black feather hat from brand Jane Taylor as she led the glamour at the event. She teamed it with a pretty polka dot dress and matching bag as she posed for the cameras. Sharing a clip to her Instagram before arriving she said: 'My most outrageous Royal Ascot look EVER? are you ready for this?! 'Try it on with Toff for Day 3 and yes, I've officially taken the polka dot trend to the extreme. I couldn't decide on one hat, so naturally… I'm trialing TWO. Which hat are we loving more?!? NEED YOUR HELP xxxx.' She showed off the feather one and another much smaller hat - eventually opting for the bigger and more flamboyant one.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
As Starmer unveils his 10-year plan, here's my advice: don't fall into the Joe Biden trap
Everyone in Westminster loves American politics. They – or, I should say, we – were raised on a diet of The West Wing and closely follow the twists and turns inside the Beltway coming from American media. This obsession has an effect on the real world: what happens in the US shapes British politics. Long ago this was seen in the parallels between Bill Clinton and Tony Blair's 'third way'; and this time last year Keir Starmer's Labour party was looking to Joe Biden's Democrats. Biden went all-in on reforming the US economy. Through the Chips and Science, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs and Inflation Reduction acts, he spent billions hoping to build more at home, boost growth and grow wages. It worked. Public investment led to more than $1tn (£750bn) of private sector spending, and real wages grew by $4,000 a person, with more for the worst off. Even with the pandemic, economic growth averaged 3% a year under Biden. This is an economy the Labour government would die for and is one of the reasons it embraced its own version of Biden's plans. The industrial strategy released today is the most concrete expression of Labour's 'securonomics' that it has given in government, after Rachel Reeves unveiled the strategy in Washington in opposition. But for all Biden's economic success, the Democrats did not win the election in 2024. Immediately commentators turned on the former president's economic platform, arguing that long-term reform was a waste of time. Only one thing mattered when it came to votes: the price of eggs. Labour hasn't jettisoned its industrial strategy based on Biden's loss, despite many urging it to. But for the strategy to be successful and to last the 10 years that Labour intends it to (not the three years that the Inflation Reduction Act did) the government will need to learn from Biden's mistakes. To understand how, the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), where I work, spoke to more than 40 people in Washington, including many former senior White House officials. Here are two key lessons. First, long-term reform is crucial but will always be slow. Expecting it to win votes now is a recipe for disaster. One former official put it this way: 'Industrial policy achieved its goals … but nobody cares, we delivered on stuff they didn't care about.' The problem was that even in the White House there wasn't agreement on the purpose of industrial policy. While those running the policy were trying to make long-lasting clean energy investments, it was sold to the Democratic party as the way to beat Trump. The interim effect was the same – money went to predominantly Republican districts (more because of their cheaper labour than a deliberate strategy). But building a factory, hiring people and eventually building things is a decade-long project. As one official said: '[Industrial policy] wasn't going to transform the map in two years after 50 years of deindustrialisation.' While Labour is explicit that this is a 10-year growth strategy, it can speed things up – planning reform will help. It must also address Britain's workforce shortages now, not just think about skill development in the future. Rebuilding capability inside government is also vital. The US government was engaging for the first time in facilitating the production of new, rapidly developing technologies such as clean hydrogen. Creating policies such as the hydrogen tax credit takes time and expertise. Officials in the British government are going to need to get to grips with the intricacies of 37 new high-potential subsectors. The second lesson: to give long-term policies the space to succeed, governments need a short-term economic improvement to people's lives. This is crucial: battery manufacturing projects are now being cancelled across the US because Democrats didn't win a second term to protect them. Biden's team had wanted a broader economic story that spoke to inflation. But things that would actually help – cheaper childcare or tax provisions for working-class Americans – were cut out of legislation by the Senate. This was at a time when Covid-era support was expiring. Defending the imperfect Inflation Reduction Act and championing investments rang hollow with the public, who wanted to hear about prices coming down. Labour has space to address this. The IPPR has conducted polling that tells us energy prices easily top every other economic issue as the public's economic priority. Of those surveyed, 47% said they would prefer the government to focus on lower costs even if this meant stagnant wages (something the British public is well used to), as opposed to 12% who would take a wage rise even if costs went up too. A final point is that the world is much bigger than the US and there are lessons to be learned elsewhere. In Spain, the prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has overseen investment of €163bn (£140bn) in the green transition – but rather than relying solely on this, his government has also acted on the rising cost of housing by capping rent increases. Anthony Albanese last month won a second term in Australia for the Labor party for similar reasons. His AUS$22.7bn (£10.8bn) investment in a future made in Australia – predominantly in clean energy – came with energy bill relief, rent assistance and cheaper medicines. So rather than sitting down for another rewatch of The West Wing, perhaps it would be a better strategy to examine how similar-sized countries elsewhere have given themselves the chance to make long-term industrial strategies work. Sam Alvis is associate director at IPPR and a former political adviser to the Labour party Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Huda Beauty's new £22 Lip Liner Stain makes overlining a breeze – and it lasts 12 HOURS
Huda Beauty have just dropped two new lip products that promise to give you a naturally enhanced pout that lasts up to 12 hours. And beauty lovers are already buzzing with excitement. Available to shop from today, the new £22 Lip Contour Stain is a clever lip stain and lip liner hybrid that's smudge-proof, comfortable and colourful - enhancing your shape for fuller looking lips with no touch-up required. And to complete your new fuller pout? The brands £21 Faux Filler Jelly Oil for mirror-shine lips. Huda Beauty Lip Contour Stain £22 The new Lip Contour Stain is a dual-sided felt tip lip liner that allows for effortless application to line and define. And the brand is hailing it 'the easiest overlining lip liner'. Giving fuller, more defined lips in seconds, you can use it to mimic natural shadows, and create the perfect 3D pout. Shop Huda Beauty Faux Filler Jelly Oil £21 Giving you extra juicy, ultra-shiny lips is the new Faux Filler Jelly Oil from Huda Beauty. Each of the coloured gloss has a flavor while the non-sticky lip oil glides over lips for a sheer finish with a hint of color and is infused with a blend of nourishing oils that leaves lips soft and hydrated. And with no tackiness. Shop Those looking for a low-maintenance lip liner that gives a hint of colour and makes lips look fuller, but won't smudge or require a top-up after eating or drinking, are going to want to check out the new launch from Huda Beauty. The no-bleed lip contour stain is a dual-sided felt tip lip liner that allows for effortless application to line and define. And the brand is hailing it 'the easiest overlining lip liner'. And for extra juicy lips? Huda Beauty has also dropped a new £21 Faux Filler Jelly Oil that users say leaves lips looking 'really plump without any sting'. 'We created this amazing felt-tip applicator to make them super easy to overline your lips and the best part is THEY DO NOT MOVE!' wrote Huda Kattan. 'You put them on and you're good to go ALL DAY - 12-hour wear!'. The new Lip Contour Stain has a dual-sided felt tip applicator that helps to give you fuller, more defined lips in seconds, helping you line, define or fill in your lips with precision. Highly pigmented, it also has an ultra-comfortable creamy formula thanks to the added argan oil that glides on without dragging, making it perfect for defining, overlining, and filling in lips. The new lip contour stain comes in eight new very wearable shades, including 90's inspired brown hues that range from Soft Nude to Baby Pink to the most dramatic Cherry Red. In short, the new Lip Contour Stain is here to give you an enhanced pout with as little upkeep as possible, lasting through meals, drinks and even kissing. And launching with the Lip Contour Stain is the Huda Beauty £21 Faux Filler Jelly Oil; a softening, ultra-hydrating tinted lip oil. Maxing your pout without the usual 'sting' that traditional enhancing lip oils often have, the Jelly Oil is packed with peptides and shea butter for extra juicy, ultra shiny lips. Available in three colours (Pink Lady, Goji and Peach), the flavored non-sticky lip oil glides over lips leaving a hint of color and ultra-glossy look without any horrible stickiness thanks to the blend of nourishing oils that leaves lips soft and hydrated. 'Passionfruit oil to give you that insane shine, shea butter to soften and nourish your lips, vegan squalane for a 'lil hydration & peptides to smooth your lips' penned Huda. 'Each one has a different scent – I can't get over how good they smell! We created the lip stain & lip oil to wear together - just layer over for a beautiful jelly stained lip. I am obsessed.' The new Huda Beauty Lip Contour Stain and Faux Filler Jelly Oil are available now online and in stores now.
