Police arrest protected wreck divers
Two bailed after items salvaged illegally from historic site
Officers from Kent and Essex have arrested two men on suspicion of lifting items from a protected wreck site.
The arrests came following a joint operation between the two constabularies, English Heritage and the Receiver of Wreck.
Two men, a 54-year old from Gravesend and a 44-year old from Dover, were taken into custody.
They were subsequently bailed to appear in court in July. Officials carried out searches at premises in Ramsgate, and seized several items, including a cannon.
The wreck site in question marks the remains of the HMS London, which accidentally blew up and foundered off Southend in 1665.
Today, the wreck is protected due to its historic status. Diving the site requires a licence, and lifting of objects is in any case forbidden.
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