Conspiracy Theories:

Following the sighting of a couple of suspicious-looking speedboats lurking around the end of the pier just minutes before the blaze started, a number of possibilities present themself:

Theory 1: Seeing that the West Pier and associated commercial buildings may pose a threat to the Palace... sorry... Brighton Pier's dominance, someone decided to set their plans back a few years.

Theory 2: Local residents, horrified at the thought of losing their view of the sea, decide to burn the pier down in the hope that it will make repair/reconstrucion impossible, and thus stopping development of the commercial buildings.

Theory 3: REALBrighton sets the pier aflame in order to make a fourth story so that it can sell a pack of 4 Beach Disaster coasters and matching placemats! Order yours today!