Makers of a new film about a wartime ship that lies sunken off the coast of Southend are in discussions with the BBC to bring it to our TV screens.

‘A Disaster Waiting to Happen’ documents the story of the SS Richard Montgomery, an American ship that sunk in the Thames Estuary in 1944 whilst carrying a cargo of munitions. The ailing ship’s rusting masts still rise ominously from the water, and can be spotted using binoculars from Southend seafront. Around 1,500 tonnes of explosives are believed to still be buried in the wreck - hence the name of the film.

“We are still in the process of compiling a cinema version,” says the film’s director and producer Ken Rowles, 72, from Sittingbourne, who made the film along with fellow filmmaker Steve Marians. “We are in discussions with the BBC for a 54 minute version for TV, and we will also be screening it soon throughout the South East.”

Southend features prominently in the film, which is narrated by the Lovejoy actor Ian McShane. “During the Second World War, Southend Pier was known as HMS Leigh and it was from there that the Montgomery was ordered to berth off the north edge of Sheerness middle sands,” said Mr Rowles.

The filmmakers first thought of the idea of the film back in 2002 and made a 12-minute pilot. However, it wasn’t until then London mayor Boris Johnson started campaigning to build an airport off the isle of Sheppey in 2012 – which highlighted the problem of the SS Richard Montgomery - that Mr Rowles’ project was greenlighted. “I had a lot of interest in it then,” said Mr Rowles, who includes footage of Mr Johnson in his film. “Boris talks about solving the problem of the Montgomery, but he doesn’t indicate how to do this.”

One of the startling claims made in the film is that if the SS Richard Montgomery ever blew up, shockwaves from the explosion would be felt more than 5,000 miles away.

The film includes exclusive interviews with the ammunitions expert who blew up a similar wreck off the Kent coast, with horrifying results. “A controlled explosion was done on a sunken wartime ship back in 1967 and it blew the windows out in Folkestone,” said Mr Rowles.

The SS Richard Montgomery is under the control of the Ministry of Transport, and has been checked regularly using sonar equipment since 1980, when it was deemed too dangerous for divers to investigate it.

Mr Rowles believes that the ship poses a growing danger to people living in Essex as well as in Kent. “The ship’s decks are now giving way, it’s deteriorating. There is the real possibility that the bombs could drift onto the seabed.”