The Mersey Ferry landing stage at the Pier Head has gone! The Daily Post has a picture of the partly-sunken stage as it looked first thing this morning, but now, there’s practically nothing left.
I went down around 1.30pm to have a nose. The tide was very high; the water was just a couple of inches below the top of the riverside wall. A small area around the Ferry Terminal was cordoned off, with security staff and the Inshore Rescue team keeping an eye on things. A couple of Mersey Ferry staff were milling around, looking understandably dejected at the sight of their workplace slowly slipping into the river.
The north end of the landing stage (where the “Ferry Cruises” sign is in the Daily Post pic) was underwater, and the south end had gone completely. The mid-section (where the waiting room was) had tipped up and had partially lifted out of the water. One of the big girders holding the landing stage in place had gone.
There were quite a few bystanders milling around taking pics (except me, who didn’t think to bring his camera!) but then the Inshore Rescue people became increasingly concerned and starting moving us all further back. Just a few moments later, as we all watched, there was this big rumbling sound and what was left above the surface disappeared underwater. The passenger walkway, linking the stage to the mainland, collapsed into the water.
I left at five to two to get back to work. By then there was just a small part of the “tent” of the waiting room poking above the surface. Somehow I don’t think there’ll be any ferries running from there any time soon. 🙁