Southend Council’s cabinet approved plans to put aside £56,000 to try and get back historic cannons.

The 17th century guns, from the London shipwreck, were illegally taken by diver Vincent Woolsgrove and sold to an unwitting American collector. The diver has now been jailed for duping the authorities, but the council will have to pay the five-figure sum in compensation to the collector in Florida.

The cabinet approved plans to set aside the cash despite concerns over the ownership of the cannons, which date back to 1665.

The Crown owns them, but it has never declined the council’s requests to take ownership of the relics from the shipwreck before.

Conservative leader John Lamb said: “I don’t want us to buy the cannons to then hand them over to the Crown.”

Andy Lewis, the authority’s head officer for place, added: “There are complex legal discussions taking place to ensure that should the council fund the cannon’s return, they go into our possession.