A PADDLE boarder has faced criticism after he was pictured next to a stranded World War Two ship laden with 1,400 tonnes of unexploded bombs.

Shane Skinner ignored danger buoys and warning signs to casual lean against the mast of the SS Richard Montgomery, which has lain wrecked in the Thames, opposite Southend, since 1944.

The 36-year-old, from Kent, is now at the centre of an investigation and faces prosecution after admitting “larking around” by the wreckage, which could explode at any moment.

But he shrugged off criticism, saying: “The water was very calm, like a mirror, and we just thought we'd go and view the wreck.

“We weren't thinking we'd be risking people's lives.”

More than 20,000 people have viewed the photo since it was posted on Facebook at the weekend, with many critical of Mr Skinner's actions.

Warning signs attached to the masts of the ship - which lies in 25ft of water about two miles from the Isle of Sheppey - state “Danger. Unexploded Ammunition. Do Not Approach or Board This Wreck” and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency monitor the site round-the-clock.

A spokesman for the MCA said the paddle boarder - and anyone else entering the exclusion zone around the wreck - was breaking the law and now faced prosecution.