Rescue teams focused on an area of the Irish Sea around Blackpool's south pier and sea wall and earlier searched under the piers.

BBC: Paul Morris

The ferry, operated by Seastreak, provides daily service between New Jersey and Pier 11 near Wall Street and carries roughly 400 passengers at a time.

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Mr Maggs said planning applications for listed building consent for works on and around South Pier and Lighthouse Pier, and an application for construction of a new sea wall at South Pier have been published, but they do not cover the scheme as a whole.

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The search was initially launched near the town's harbour wall, known locally as the pier, after a fisherman reported seeing the boy being swept out to sea by a wave.

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At Deal, a new 400m wall has been built either side of the pier designed to reduce the power of the waves, further north a rock barrier has been built and the beach has been strengthened with tonnes of shingle.

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