Latest news with #Sheerness
BBC News
01-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
'We need more support for early-onset Alzheimer's', says Kent woman
A woman living with early-onset Alzheimer's disease says more needs to be done for people in her Wallis, 62, was diagnosed a year ago and said there was a lack of support and appropriate treatment for younger people receiving a said she had been to an Alzheimer's support group near her home in Sheerness, Kent, but was told it might not be suitable, as most people there were "in their eighties".Ms Wallis, who received the diagnosis after being offered a dementia test by her GP, said: "You feel absolutely stupid, basically, and it's quite upsetting. "You walk away and you think 'oh my goodness, what's going on now?' Because I didn't think about Alzheimer's at all."It was recently announced that two breakthrough Alzheimer's drugs capable of slowing down the disease were too expensive to become available on the Wallis said the news annoyed her, adding, "I think that the government should start helping these people." The NHS says early- or young-onset Alzheimer's disease impacts around one in every 13 people under the age of disease is most common in people over the age of 65 with the risk of Alzheimer's and other types of dementia increasing with affects an estimated one in 14 people over the age of 65 and one in every six people over the age of 80. If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this story, support and advice is available via BBC Action Line. Dr Martyna Matuszyk, research communications officer at Alzheimer's Society, said: "It can be difficult for people to hear this diagnosis, early symptoms may not always be obvious."But she said an early diagnosis was "really important to get all the support that a person might need". Looking to the future Ms Wallis added: "I'm a little bit nervous, I must say I'm not frightened because there's no point in being frightened. "You can only take one day as it comes. Tomorrow is another day."
Daily Mail
29-06-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE I destroyed my £150k house 'brick by brick' in 17-year tenant war... the bank repossessed it, now I live in a caravan
A desperate landlord who erupted in fury and started dismantling his house amidst a 17-year war with his 'squatting' tenant has told how he has been left penniless and living in a leaking caravan after the property was repossessed. Louis Scudder, 53, was forced to give up his childhood home, which has now been sold off at auction, after falling into arrears with the mortgage payments. He claims his tenant drew up a 25-year tenancy agreement without his knowledge or consent which allowed her to stay renting the three-bed property in Sheerness, Kent at a fixed rate of just £400-a-month. His mortgage payments are more than twice that at £850-a-month and despite numerous attempts since 2007 to have the tenant Ayesha Kramer removed, the courts have always ruled in her favour. Mr Scudder, 52, snapped last summer when he climbed onto the roof of his £150,000 home and embarked on a one-man wrecking mission, ripping off tiles and smashing windows with his bare hands. Bleeding from injuries to his hands, he shouted down to riot police during a 24-hour stand-off: 'I'm not coming down until I've destroyed the whole place. I'm going to take it apart brick by brick.' A year on from his rooftop siege, Mr Scudder said his failed almost two decade battle to take back control of his former home had left him 'a broken man'. He now lives with his partner Zoe Clulow and her eight-year-old son in a dilapidated caravan on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent. Speaking for the first time, he told MailOnline: 'My tenant has made my life hell. I struggle to get out of bed most days. All I can do at the moment is just survive. 'I can't move on because I've still got a load of legal issues hanging over me. I'm 52 years old and I've not had a stable life for God knows how long and any money I'm likely to make is probably going to have to go to the bank or the tenant, it's like the final kick in the face. 'I wasn't able to sell the house because I had a sitting tenant with this ridiculous tenancy so nobody would entertain buying it. 'I couldn't even remortgage, redevelop the house and get someone else in who would pay a decent rent. 'In the end, the bank took the house from me and I've lost all trust in the system. 'Now I'm living with my partner and her eight-year-old son in a caravan, which is slowly falling apart. 'The room meant to be our bedroom has a huge tear in the corner of the wall. 'Our electricity comes from an extension lead from a kind neighbour so we only use the bare minimum and have a diesel heater for warmth. 'We don't have a working toilet either. It's really basic but at least I have a roof over my head. That's something I suppose.' As he struggled to keep up mortgage repayments on the house, it was repossessed by the bank and put up for auction. It had a reserve price of £115,000 when it was put up for sale by estate agents Barnard Marcus at an auction at the Grand Connaught Rooms in central London in April. It eventually sold for £134,000 and is believed to have been purchased by a property developer. The sale catalogue pointed out that auctioneers had not been able to inspect the freehold home and that purchasers would have to 'rely upon their own enquiries as to the internal layout of the property'. No viewings were conducted and auctioneers explained 'no keys will be provided to the property upon completion. The property was being sold 'by order of the mortgagees'. Mr Scudder took matters into his own hands after growing increasingly frustrated that he had been unable to live in his property. Fearing the authorities were against him in March last year, Mr Scudder waited for Ms Kramer, 51, to go out before climbing in through a window to gain entry. He removed her possessions and dumped them outside before changing the locks but was ordered by a court to quit the property and hand back the keys. As a legal battle rumbled on, Mr Scudder returned in June last year where he began slowly dismantling the property. He was arrested and was bound over to keep the peace for 12 months for causing a public nuisance and breaching an injunction. As a legal battle with tenant Ayesha Kramer rumbled on, Mr Scudder returned in June last year where he began slowly dismantling the property But two months later, he returned with a sledgehammer to finish the job leaving behind a scene of devastation that shocked neighbours likened to 'a disaster movie'. Officers in riot gear were drafted in while specially trained negotiators tried to coax him down from the rafters of his wrecked property. Ambulance crews and fire fighters were also called in amid fears damage to pipes and cables could cause an explosion. Walls came crashing down and pipe work was shattered as Mr Scudder rained blow after blow on the property reducing brickwork to piles of rubble. Mr Scudder grew up in the house with his hard-working single mother Angela and younger brother. He bought the property from the council in the early 1990s from money he earned as a carpenter but towards the end of the decade fell on hard times and was forced to leave the area for a number of years after finding himself in 'a challenging personal situation'. An aunt suggested he arrange for it to be rented out to help him pay off his mortgage but Mr Scudder claims that unbeknown to him a 25-year tenancy agreement had been signed. In 1999 Ms Kramer moved into the property and it was there that she brought up her three daughters - twins aged 27 and their older sister who is now aged 31. Mr Scudder said: 'I knew nothing of the tenancy agreement until I went to court in 2007. 'By that time, I'd got myself together and wanted to get my home back and life back on track so I served Ayesha notice but she refused to leave. 'I applied for a Section 21 eviction notice through the courts but when I got there she produced this tenancy in front of everyone. 'She had the council on her side, she had solicitors. I didn't have anyone with me and didn't understand the court process. I was complteley unprepared and unaware. 'The judge asked me if it was my aunt's signature on the agreement to which I replied 'I think so'. But I've since checked with my aunt, she remembers signing Ayesha's rent-book but not a 25-year tenancy agreement. 'Even if my aunt had signed such an agreement, it shouldn't be legally-binding because only my name and my mother's name were on the deeds of that property. 'Within that tenancy agreement there was no clause to say that the rent could increase at any point with inflation. It was to remain at £400 a month for 25-years…for a three-bedroom house in Kent. 'She was paying that right up until about four years ago - when the council upped her disability benefit payments and she started paying £650. 'But for the best part of 17-years she made out that that house was hers and took full control of it. 'She wouldn't let me in to my own home to carry out any repairs nor for any maintenance issues like boiler checks. 'She even refused to pass on my post and also had a garden patio laid without consulting me and against building regulations because it was built so water ran down to the house and caused untold damp problems through the walls. 'It's a ludicrous situation. I'm a homeowner who is homeless, I've had to live in motor homes, boats and sofa-surf in friends' houses. Now I'm in a caravan.' Mr Scudder claims that Ms Kramer was told by the council and homeless charity Shelter last year that she was legally able to remain in his house until he served another Section 21 notice. But he said: 'I didn't have the money to go back through all that again. Plus in order to get a Section 21, I have to have my gas and electricity certificates all in order - but she wouldn't let me in to do the checks. 'When the court ordered myself, Zoe and her son to leave and remove all our belongings from my home, I snapped. 'By this point I'm a broken man and I've had a complete mental breakdown and I've gone up to the roof and started to tear it down with my bare hands. 'Ayesha had been offered multiple council houses but she turned them all down and kept refusing them because she wanted a two bed bungalow with a garden. 'In my eyes I thought 'if you want a bungalow…I'll give you a bungalow' and I took my roof down.' Mr Scudder says he is currently awaiting the outcome of a contempt of court case with the maximum possible sentence being two years. He is also being chased by Ms Kramer for £34,000 in damages for removing her property from the house last year when he and Zoe temporarily moved back in. He added: 'Some of the items in her claim are, frankly, ridiculous including huge sums for things like paper plates and outdated second-hand items being valued as new. 'Additionally, I have photo evidence showing that her possessions were carefully packaged and bubble-wrapped for her to collect. She was repeatedly invited to do so but chose not to, seemingly preferring to pursue financial compensation instead.' Ms Clulow also spoke to MailOnline to defend her partner and said: 'Louis isn't a dangerous person, he's a broken man who feels failed by the legal system. 'After 17 years of fighting just to live in his own home, he now faces serious legal consequences, emotional trauma, and financial ruin. His goal was never violence—it was simply to get his home and life back, something most people would take for granted.' Friends of Ms Kramer, meanwhile, told how she too has been left traumatised by the experience - losing her home and most of her possessions including treasured family photographs. Neighbours - who were ordered to evacuate their homes during Mr Scudder's rampage - say they are now hoping the house can be made habitable again and they can return to their peaceful lives. Tanya Gray, who has lived in the streets for 28 years, told MailOnline: 'We've heard someone from London has bought it. They must be planning to do it up. Good luck to them. 'There must be even more damage now because it's been left open to the elements for nearly a year. Hopefully that's the end of it. This is a family-orientated area and it would be nice if a nice quiet family will move in now.'
Daily Mail
21-06-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Desperate homeowner who destroyed his £150,000 property 'brick by brick' in 17-year war with tenant loses everything as it's repossessed and sold by bank
A desperate homeowner who tried to dismantle his house after he exploded in frustration following a long-running dispute with a tenant has 'lost everything' after the property was repossessed. Louis Scudder, 53, was forced to give up his childhood home which has now been sold off at auction. The three bedroom home had been left in a shocking state of disrepair for nearly a year after Mr Scudder launched into a frenzied one-man demolition mission. Mr Scudder was at the centre of a 24-hour stand-off with police in riot gear last August after he began destroying the end of terrace house - starting with the roof. Friends told how Mr Scudder snapped after reaching the end of his tether following a 17-year battle to take back control of his £150,000 property in Sheerness, Kent, which he became convinced had been 'stolen from him'. After a series of court battles the property was put up for sale by the bank with whom he had taken out a mortgage. The house had a reserve price of £115,000 when it was put up for sale by estate agents Barnard Marcus at an auction at the Grand Connaught Rooms in central London in April. It sold for £134,000 and is believed to have been purchased by a property developer. The sale catalogue pointed out that auctioneers had not been able to inspect the freehold home and that purchasers would have to 'rely upon their own enquiries as to the internal layout of the property'. No viewings were conducted and auctioneers explained 'no keys will be provided to the property upon completion. The property was being sold 'by order of the mortgagees'. Neighbours - who were ordered to evacuate their homes during Mr Scudder's rampage - told how they are now hoping the house can be made habitable again and they can return to their peaceful lives. Tanya Gray, who has lived in the streets for 28 years, told MailOnline: 'It was a lovely house but he completely wrecked it. 'He wanted to get the house back but he went about it the wrong way and now he's ended up losing it because the bank took it and put it up for auction. He's lost everything.' Tanya, 58, added: 'The house has been in a terrible state ever since. It's a real eyesore. 'Before it went up for sale his friends were regularly going into the property but there has been no one since it went up for auction. 'No-one was allowed to go inside to view it because it was classed as unsafe. We've heard someone from London has bought it. They must be planning to do it up. Good luck to them. There must be even more damage now because it's been left open to the elements for nearly a year. Hopefully that's the end of it. This is a family-orientated area and it would be nice if a nice quiet family will move in now.' Mr Scudder took matters into his own hands after growing increasingly frustrated that he had been unable to live in his property. Fearing the authorities were against him in March last year, Mr Scudder waited for long-term tenant Ayshea Kramer, 51, to go out before climbing in through a window to gain entry. He removed her possessions and dumped them outside before changing the locks but was ordered by a court to quit the property and hand back the keys. As a legal battle rumbled on, Mr Scudder returned to the property in June last year where he began ripping tiles off the roof and smashing windows with his bare hands - leaving himself covered in blood. He was arrested and was bound over to keep the peace for 12 months for causing a public nuisance and breaching an injunction. A dilapidated chimney and police tape are just two of the sorry sights to meet neighbours Two months later, he returned with a sledgehammer to finish the job. Neighbours told how at the end of the terrifying rampage Mr Scudder left behind a scene of devastation they likened to 'a disaster movie'. Officers in riot gear were drafted in while specially trained negotiators tried to coax him down from the rafters of his wrecked property. Ambulance crews and fire fighters were also called in amid fears damage to pipes and cables could cause an explosion. Walls came crashing down and pipe work was shattered as Mr Scudder rained blow after blow on the property reducing brickwork to piles of rubble. At the time Danny Owen - who has lived in the street for more than a year - told MailOnline: 'He got on the roof and started tearing the house to pieces. He did it twice. The first time he tore the whole roof down with his bare hands. He smashed all the tiles. He was ripping them off and was throwing them. 'He punched the windows with his hands which were all cut and bloodied. There was scaffolding put up after that as attempts were made to fix the roof. 'He wasn't happy with it and he went up there again and wrecked the place. 'All I heard him say was 'I'm not coming out until I take this whole place apart - brick by brick. He said he was going to destroy the house. It's his family home. He grew up there. He owns it but he hasn't been allowed to live there. 'He says he tried to do things properly but in the end he felt helpless as everything always went in her favour. He demolished all the inside. He smashed up the bathroom and there was a worry because of all the pipework that was damaged. There was water leaking. 'There's been this long dispute with the tenant which has ended in a long legal fight. He reached breaking point and it ended with this. I feel sorry for him. He went about it the wrong way. It's very sad. He's hit rock bottom. He thought the authorities let him down and he had a genuine grievance. 'He should have gone about it differently but he obviously wasn't thinking like that.' Another neighbour said: 'His attitude seemed to be 'If I can't have my house, you can't have it either' so he set out to demolish it. He went up there on the Wednesday and he didn't come down until Thursday evening.' In the aftermath of the rampage Mr Scudder said: 'I feel like an injured fox being hounded. No-one's listening to me. I'm so angry inside.' One friend of Mr Scudder told MailOnline: 'This has destroyed this man's life. He's a broken man and it's not fair how he's been treated.' After one of Mr Scudder's court appearances last year, friends told how the property had been his childhood home which he went on to buy from the council. One friend told how Mr Scudder was forced to leave the house for a number of years after finding himself in 'a challenging personal situation'. He asked a relative to arrange for it to be rented out to help him pay off his mortgage. But Mr Scudder claims that unbeknown to him a 25-year tenancy agreement had been signed. In 1999 Ms Kramer moved into the property and it was there that she brought up her three daughters - twins aged 27 and their older sister who is now aged 31. The friend claimed Mr Scudder only discovered about the terms of the tenancy in 2007. The friend said: 'During all those years he's been homeless. He's been jumping from friend to friend, living in spare bedrooms, on sofas. If friends had motorhomes he would stay there for a couple of months, he stayed on boats - anywhere he could find. 'He's a man with a home that's homeless. It's ridiculous. 'He's the loveliest man you could ever meet. He just wants a quiet life. His dream in life which he was hoping this house could help him do was to buy a small piece of land and rescue animals. Friends of Ms Kramer told how she has been left traumatised by the experience - losing her home and most of her possessions including treasured family photographs. But Tobe Hayden, who assisted Mr Scudder in previous legal actions, said: 'I didn't know the house had been repossessed. I was assisting him for a while but then they went in a different direction. It was a terrible miscarriage of justice for him.'
Daily Mail
15-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Life in the 'death zone': Locals in Sheerness SHOULD be worried about living next to shipwrecked WW2 boat filled with bombs, experts say
For 81 years, the small coastal town of Sheerness has waited with baited breath. In that time, multiple generations of islanders have lived, died and thrived in the deprived town never dwelling on the looming danger a few miles off their sparkling coastline. But the threat which lurks beneath the waves just a few yards from their island community has been ever present and experts fear time could soon be running out. The threat which haunts the plucky residents of Sheerness isn't an existential one, it's terrifyingly real and would have an almost apocalyptic impact on the town. To put it quite simply, if the WW2 vessel the SS Montgomery, which sank off the coast in 1944 carrying an estimated 1,4000 tonnes of explosives, is disturbed or decays enough to detonate, it could wipe the town off the face of the earth. Experts and doomsday critics have long hypothesized precisely what the impact on the Kentish town would be, with some drawing up blast radius maps and before and after pictures. All of them agree on one thing though, the impact would be catastrophic. In the event of a detonation it is thought that debris from the wreck would be hurled up to 1.8 miles into the air with the resulting shockwave damaging buildings for miles around. Sheerness would be levelled by this wave and then drowned under a tsunami which experts fear could be 30-40ft high. A smaller tsunami could also barrel its way up the Thames towards London, destroying everything in its path. The stakes then, couldn't be higher, and as time moves on and the wreck's condition further deteriorates, locals on Sheerness dread to hear any updates at all from the stricken ship - the masts of which are clearly visible from the shoreline at low tide. This week, an ominous new survey of the 'doomsday wreck' revealed that the wreckage was edging closer to collapse prompting the government to introduce a stricter no fly-zone around the site. The wreckage has long been subject to a strict maritime exclusion zone enforced by the Ministry of Defence. The new order has been made to stop aircraft flying within one nautical mile of the sunken remains of the vessel or fly lower than 13,100ft in the restricted airspace. The DfT said following expert advice, work continues on the project to reduce the height the ship's three steel masts over fears they could become unstable and fall onto the wreck. This is expected to be in place within the next year, with works to follow as soon as possible. The DfT says it has responded to this by implementing the Restriction of Flying (RoF). However locals living in what has come to be known as 'the death zone' are demanding more answers and a permanent solution to the issue of the wreck, which prominent defence experts believe is one of the gravest threats to UK security. The people of Sheerness, which has a population of just 25,000 are a hardy folk who none could accuse of lacking a sense of humour. The town even boasts a mural which depicts a mermaid sitting in front of the masts protruding from the sea – saying: 'Welcome to Sheerness. You'll have a blast.' However when MailOnline visited the town this week in the wake of the latest news, we found a population living on a knife edge. Hannah Dixon, 38, who works in a popular seaside cafe revealed: 'It's frightening. Years ago I watched a documentary that's said basically only Minster on the other side of the island would be left if it went kaboom. 'It's a subconscious fear, because it has been there for years and nothing has happened, but I do worry about it. 'They have put in this no fly zone which I don't really understand, I didn't think anything flew over there, but I suppose it's to do with the masts. 'Basically if the masts fall they could set it off. I just think they should leave it alone to be honest. 'Not only are they putting the workers lives at risk, they're putting all our lives at risk.' Grey Scott, 39, a former soldier who now runs a tattoo parlour on the island said: 'I don't fear it, given my background, but it's not something I would tell my kids about because I know it will make them worry. 'It is scary, of course, if it went off the whole high street would be flooded, so it is a worry. 'There have been talks of doing something about the masts in the past but nothing ever happens. 'I also think with that things could go wrong and could cause a bigger problem - it's a risk. 'It's definitely not something I want my kids to learn about, there are enough scary things in the world.' Andreea Pachciarek, 24, who has a one year old son, said: 'I've lived here for 10 years, and I only started worrying about it after I had my kid. 'Before I never really thought about it but now, especially with the no fly zone, it makes me think about moving off the island. 'I don't have sleepless nights but it is a fear because it would be so bad if it went off. I'm more worried about how close ships seem to be getting to it. 'There's the buoys around it but there's one out there at the moment that looks so close to the wreck. 'It definitely is scary.' Earlier last week, terrified residents watched from the shoreline as a huge cargo ship was seen terrifyingly close to the wreckage. The islander who took the picture told KentOnline at the time it was like 'looking at doomsday' - though it was later confirmed the boat did not breach the strict exclusion zone. Ron O'Beray, 78, who has lived in Sheerness for 70 years told MailOnline: 'They say if it goes off the whole island will be covered in water and every window will break. 'If that happened obviously it would be devastating but I am not sure it will. It's been here all the time I have, seven decades, and it has never happened. Surely by now the bombs will be corroded?' Sadly, the cargo of the Montgomery is anything but docile, numerous experts fear. Prior to the fateful day in 1944, the 7,200-tonne American vessel had safely crossed the Atlantic on convoy HX-301 without incident and was ordered to anchor off Sheerness. It was carrying some 7,000 tonnes of munitions and it was due to carry on to Cherbourg to unload its cargo. Then, on August 20, 1944, the Montgomery dragged her anchor and ran aground on a sandbank around 250 yards from the Medway Approach Channel eventually sinking with her full cargo. On the day she sank, the Montgomery was likely carrying a terrifying array of US bombs including 286 giant 2,000lb 'blockbuster' bombs, 4,439 explosive devices and over 2,500 cluster bombs. These concern security experts the most, as because they are transported with their fuses attached they are more prone to detonation. Speaking to the MailOnline, former British Army intelligence officer Colonel Phillip Ingram revealed that whilst the wreck is safe from a 'fanatic with a sniper', it remained a point of weakness for the UK against hostile foreign states. He explained: 'The real threat is that a hostile state wants to do something about it. They could do it under water from afar with a submersible bomb. 'The blast damage it would cause would be phenomenal. It would be a hell of a big bang - but would it really achieve anything? People in Sheerness are living on the edge, every window in the town would be devastated. 'It is clear that the authorities are becoming increasingly concerned about this. The latest report on it hasn't yet been made available to the public yet, which makes me think that they don't want us to know how risky this is. 'Nobody knows what to do with it. Going anywhere near it to remove them could potentially become a suicide mission.' These thoughts are shared by Professor David Alexander, an expert in risk management and emergency planning, who this week told LBC that the wreck was a 'reckless sitting duck' and a 'ready-made target.' He said: 'The Montgomery is not inert – it is at risk. It's sat just 2.4km from Sheerness and 200 metres from a shipping lane used by LNG carriers and giant container vessels. In today's environment, that's reckless.' MailOnline has approached the Ministry of Defence and Department for Transport for further comment. What's the latest on the wreck's condition? A new survey of the ship has revealed the hull itself is deteriorating, with several alarming changes detected in the year since the last survey. One problem flagged up by the survey is that the front half of the ship – which broke in two as it sank – is slowly tipping over, tilting half a metre further eastward in two years. More decay was observed in the second cargo hold, where the upper port side has cracked, and the lower starboard side has become 'significantly buckled'. This has caused part of the deck above to start collapsing into the hold, with the hatch supports in this area dropping by up to 17cm in a year. All told, it looks like 'the forward part of the wreck is splitting in two,' the new report states. The back end of the wreck is in similar trouble. The survey says: 'Like the forward section, the rear section is hogging and potentially breaking in two about halfway along its length.' Further deterioration was detected where the front and back of the wreck split apart. 'This area was left unsupported when the ship broke in two back in 1944,' the report says. 'Consequently, it has been badly affected by wave and current action and is steadily collapsing and falling into the gap between the two halves of the vessel.' If the seabed is anything to go by, the worst is yet to come. The report warns: 'The degree to which the bow and stern may be being undercut as the supporting sediment is eroded away is a potential concern.' One area of seabed close to the wreck was found to have dipped by 1.6m in a year. The front of the ship has now been 'undercut to the degree where it has started to move', according to the findings. A 1970 report from the Royal Military College of Science predicted what would happen if the whole explosive cache detonated at once. It would unleash a column of water and debris 3,000 metres high, and a five-metre tsunami, engulfing nearby Sheerness, the report said. Also in the firing line is Southend, which lies some five miles north of the wreck site. Daniel Cowan, leader of Southend Council, is looking for answers. He said: 'According to the experts, the wreck of the Montgomery remains stable. 'So I understand that the no-fly zone that's been put in is a precautionary measure. 'But we are seeking further clarity around the long term plans for the wreck. 'What we'd like more than anything is clarity, to understand what the long-term plans are.' The Department for Transport, the ministry responsible for the wreck, said the no-fly zone had been implemented on expert advice and would remain in place until further notice. A spokesperson said: 'Our priority will always be to ensure the safety of the public and to reduce any risk posed by the SS Richard Montgomery. 'The condition of the wreck remains stable, and experts are continuing to monitor the site. 'As part of their ongoing monitoring, they have updated advice on how authorities can further minimise risk. 'They have recommended that pilots and operators do not fly in a limited area around and above the site as specified by the Civil Aviation Authority.' What is the SS Montgomery and why is it dangerous? The SS Richard Montgomery was a US Liberty Ship built in 1943 to transport cargo across the Atlantic The 7,200-tonne vessel safely crossed the Atlantic on convoy HX-301 without incident and was ordered to anchor off Sheerness. The vessel was carrying some 7,000 tonnes of munitions and it was due to carry on to Cherbourg to unload its cargo. However, on August 20, 1944, the Montgomery dragged her anchor and ran aground on a sandbank around 250 yards from the Medway Approach Channel. A major salvage operation was launched to unload the vessel's deadly cargo although, within 24 hours cracks began appearing across the hull and the forward areas began flooding. By September 25, the salvage operation had to be abandoned after the entire vessel flooded. The Richard Montgomery was one of 2,700 Liberty ships built during the war.
Daily Mail
10-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Urgent warning over 'Doomsday wreck' at the bottom of the Thames: Bomb-filled SS Richard Montgomery is edging close to COLLAPSE – as officials frantically impose a no-fly zone over the site
A bomb-filled 'doomsday wreck' which threatens to unleash a tsunami in the Thames is edging closer to collapse, an ominous new survey of the ship reveals. The SS Richard Montgomery sank in the Thames Estuary near Sheerness, Kent, in August 1944, taking 1,400 tons of WW2 explosives to the bottom. Her masts still loom above the water line and there are plans to remove them, lest they collapse on to the wreck and trigger an explosion. But a new survey of the ship has revealed the hull itself is deteriorating, with several alarming changes detected in the year since the last survey. Now a no-fly zone has been imposed at the wreck site by the Department for Transport, banning civilian and non-emergency aviation from the skies overhead. One problem flagged up by the survey is that the front half of the ship – which broke in two as it sank – is slowly tipping over, tilting half a metre further eastward in two years. More decay was observed in the second cargo hold, where the upper port side has cracked, and the lower starboard side has become 'significantly buckled'. This has caused part of the deck above to start collapsing into the hold, with the hatch supports in this area dropping by up to 17cm in a year. All told, it looks like 'the forward part of the wreck is splitting in two,' the new report states. The back end of the wreck is in similar trouble. The survey says: 'Like the forward section, the rear section is hogging and potentially breaking in two about halfway along its length.' Further deterioration was detected where the front and back of the wreck split apart. 'This area was left unsupported when the ship broke in two back in 1944,' the report says. 'Consequently, it has been badly affected by wave and current action and is steadily collapsing and falling into the gap between the two halves of the vessel.' If the seabed is anything to go by, the worst is yet to come. The report warns: 'The degree to which the bow and stern may be being undercut as the supporting sediment is eroded away is a potential concern.' One area of seabed close to the wreck was found to have dipped by 1.6m in a year. The front of the ship has now been 'undercut to the degree where it has started to move', according to the findings. A 1970 report from the Royal Military College of Science predicted what would happen if the whole explosive cache detonated at once. It would unleash a column of water and debris 3,000 metres high, and a five-metre tsunami, engulfing nearby Sheerness, the report said. Also in the firing line is Southend, which lies some five miles north of the wreck site. Daniel Cowan, leader of Southend Council, is looking for answers. He said: 'According to the experts, the wreck of the Montgomery remains stable. 'So I understand that the no-fly zone that's been put in is a precautionary measure. 'But we are seeking further clarity around the long term plans for the wreck. 'What we'd like more than anything is clarity, to understand what the long-term plans are.' The Department for Transport, the ministry responsible for the wreck, said the no-fly zone had been implemented on expert advice and would remain in place until further notice. A spokesperson said: 'Our priority will always be to ensure the safety of the public and to reduce any risk posed by the SS Richard Montgomery. 'The condition of the wreck remains stable, and experts are continuing to monitor the site. 'As part of their ongoing monitoring, they have updated advice on how authorities can further minimise risk. 'They have recommended that pilots and operators do not fly in a limited area around and above the site as specified by the Civil Aviation Authority.' The SS Richard Montgomery, which lies at a depth of 49ft, was an American vessel carrying munitions for the allies in the Second World War. She ran aground on a sandbank and broke her back on it when the tide went out, sinking before all of her cargo could be recovered. What is the SS Montgomery and why is it dangerous? The SS Richard Montgomery was a US Liberty Ship built in 1943 to transport cargo across the Atlantic The 7,200-tonne vessel safely crossed the Atlantic on convoy HX-301 without incident and was ordered to anchor off Sheerness. The vessel was carrying some 7,000 tonnes of munitions and it was due to carry on to Cherbourg to unload its cargo. However, on August 20, 1944, the Montgomery dragged her anchor and ran aground on a sandbank around 250 yards from the Medway Approach Channel. A major salvage operation was launched to unload the vessel's deadly cargo although, within 24 hours cracks began appearing across the hull and the forward areas began flooding. By September 25, the salvage operation had to be abandoned after the entire vessel flooded. The Richard Montgomery was one of 2,700 Liberty ships built during the war.
