THE owner of an historic wartime fort is considering granting amnesty to former vandals who want to rectify their actions.

Beacon Hill Fort, in Harwich, has fallen into disrepair over the decades.

It has stood derelict for years and has often been a target for vandals.

The site is a scheduled ancient monument of national importance and is on the Historic England Heritage At Risk register.

It is part-owned by Tendring Council and was bought last year by Paul Valentine and Barry Sharp.

For months a team of volunteers have been clearing the site and getting surveys done on the buildings to restore the fort.

Once the work is complete, the owners want to create an attraction which will encourage visitors to the area.

But now Mr Valentine has come up with a novel idea to help with the renovation of the site.

He said: “I am thinking about granting residents who vandalised the fort over the decades amnesty.”

Mr Valentine said he would like to give people who vandalised the fort in the past the opportunity to “put things right” by earning an official pardon from him.

He said: “We could ask residents to do ten hours of volunteer work at the fort or ask them to donate £10 toward the project so they could receive a certificate of amnesty.

“They could get a certificate to say they are exonerated.”

He said he would also like these residents to come forward to share stories of their past experiences at the fort.

Mr Valentine said there is still lots of planning needed around the idea.

Residents wanting to earn amnesty can contact the Beacon Hill Fort Harwich Facebook group.