AN ambitious project to construct a 250m long zipwire from the end of Bournemouth Pier will get under way this week.

Following the successful launch of the RockReef indoor adventure park in the former Pier Theatre, pier operators Openwide are now ready to start building the zip line.

They say the attraction will provide an “iconic, modern and dynamic landmark” for the resort and help to increase the number of people visiting the seafront and the pier.

It is thought to be the first zip line in the world where riders start on a pier, travel across the sea and land on a beach.

The first phase of the construction work will be to prepare the ground works for the landing platform on the beach. Piles will be driven deep beneath the sand to reach the solid rock beneath to provide a stable base for the landing area.

The platform, which has been designed to look like an upturned boat, will be fully accessible to beach goers when not in use for the zip line.

The zip line will be launched from a 17.5m tall platform on the end of a pier and riders will enjoy a 250m ride to the beach, staying well above the heads of beach users until they reach the platform.

Steve Cutbush, managing director of Openwide International, said: “It will be a unique first for Bournemouth, becoming an iconic, modern and dynamic landmark for Bournemouth’s Pier over the coming years. Openwide International Ltd has fully financed this exceptional new attraction from our own resources without any input from the public purse.

“We are delighted by the initial reactions to the indoor attractions, which opened on May 24, and are sure that the zip line will add even more excitement and thrills to beach goers this summer.”