Birnbeck Pier in Weston-super-Mare, where Barnes Wallis’s bouncing bomb was trialled, is step closer to being saved

A unique pier that used to be a boarding point for paddle steamers plying their trade in the Bristol channel and in the second world war played a part in the development of the Dambusters’ bouncing bomb is a step closer to being saved thanks to a £10m lifeline.

Birnbeck Pier in Weston-super-Mare, said to be the only pier in the UK linking the mainland to an island, fell into disrepair after closing to the public 30 years ago and is on Historic England’s heritage at risk register.