Worthing wheel: Work leads to seafront closure and parkrun cancellation

The prom is due to be shut on Thursday to allow two cranes to lift the wheel structure – the largest of its type in the south – into place.

Organisers of the Worthing parkrun have also decided to cancel this Saturday’s race, due to the prom being narrowed.

The weekly Worthing parkrun normally takes place at 9am, but a note on its website reads: “Worthing parkrun is cancelled on 6 July 2019: Promenade will be partially/fully blocked by works.”

A council statement said: “With the foundations now complete, contractors have set up on the seafront ahead of the first parts of the 46-metre attraction arriving on the south coast.

“The WOW is being transported from the factory in Holland to the UK on eight articulated lorries and will be constructed on site on the seafront opposite Montague Place.”

To ensure the parts can be brought onto the seafront safely access along a short stretch of the promenade was reduced to 1.5 metres today, for up to two weeks.

Alternative wheelchair-accessible pedestrian routes are signposted and cyclists are asked to dismount.

The statement added: “We thank residents and visitors for their patience at this time.”

The WOW is set to open later this month, giving visitors the chance to see the town and beyond from a new perspective.