Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their latest safety assessment of the wreckage of the SS Richard Montgomery; and what action they are taking to protect the Thames Estuary and Kent Coast from the threat posed by the unexploded ordinances.

The Government’s view is that the wreck is in a relatively stable condition. It is however considered prudent to take sensible steps to mitigate the risk. As part of our ongoing assessment of the wreck and long-term management of the risk, a decision has been taken to explore the potential to reduce the height of the masts. The Ministry of Defence is managing that project on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Whilst the condition of the masts is not believed to have seriously deteriorated over time, the decision to explore reducing the height of the masts was informed by the regular surveys conducted by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency. These surveys can be found on Gov.uk.