From half-pipes to gun turrets, skateboarder goes on a mission

A British professional skater has partnered with a production firm to film his skating skills on top of an off-shore World War Two machine-gun turret, hoping to raise awareness of the abandoned fort.

The Red Sands Fort was built in 1942 on the Thames estuary, 12 miles from the British shore, to protect Britain during the war.

Ed Birch, from the filming company Salt-Street Productions, said the location was chosen because of its striking aesthetic and its incredible history, adding he hopes the video will help get the towers restored.

%shareLinks-quote="The location is of course not really built for skating but that in itself is part of the magic of it." type="quote" author="Ed Birch" authordesc="Salt-Street Productions" isquoteoftheday="false"%

In the video, Mancunian skater Ben Grove can be seen performing using the materials found at the site, which include pipes, wires and wood.

"The location is of course not really built for skating but that in itself is part of the magic of it," Birch said. "This is what makes it so spectacular."

The armed towers were decommissioned in the late 50s and were later used for pirate radio broadcasting, Salt-Street said.