WORK has sta­rted on repairing the iconic Teignmouth Pier, battered by one of the biggest storms in living memory.

Contractors moved in on Monday but the task is not expected to be completed until mid-July.

The job is costing hundreds of thousands of pounds, and many thousands of pounds in takings have been lost because the pier had to stay closed for so long, missing out on a large chunk of the holiday season.

Nik Brenner, whose family has owned the structure for decades, said there was a 12-week estimate on the repairs to the structure of the pier and the replacement of the many valuable amusement machines wrecked in the February onslaught.