UK Act of Parliament 1973 United Kingdom

Protection of Wrecks Act 1973

View on legislation.gov.uk Ask Guv about this Act

At a glance

Enforced by

HES

What's here

2 compliance obligations

Penalty landscape

1 of 2 obligations carry up to 2 years imprisonment. 1 carries different penalties — flagged in the list below.

Who this Act binds

Business-side actors with duties under this Act, ranked by how often they appear.

Any Person 2

Other Acts binding the same actors

For each actor bound by this Act, the other UK Acts that bind them most often. Useful for understanding the full compliance landscape facing each role.

Any Person also bound by 742 other Acts (top 5 shown)

Human Medicines Regulations 2012 2012 101 duties
Road Traffic Act 1988 1988 95 duties
Air Navigation Order 2016 2016 83 duties
Merchant Shipping Act 1995 1995 82 duties
Road Traffic (NI) Order 1995 1995 61 duties

What this Act requires

Sections that create concrete duties on businesses or carry penalties. Procedural and definitional sections are folded into the “Browse other sections” expander at the bottom of each group. Click any section title to read the source text on legislation.gov.uk.

s.001

Protection of sites of historic wrecks.

Unlimited fine

Unauthorised interference with protected historic wreck sites Any Person

s.002

Prohibition on approaching dangerous wrecks.

2 years imprisonment

Enter a prohibited area around a dangerous wreck Any Person

Browse 2 other sections — procedural / definitional / commencement

s.003

Supplementary provisions.

s.004

Citation.

Official guidance

Authoritative sources published by regulators or government explaining this legislation.

Natural Resources Wales / Activities that may be exempt from requiring a marine licence (opens in a new tab) from NRW Detailed Guidance
Marine Heritage | Historic England (opens in a new tab) from Historic England Detailed Guidance
The Planning System | Historic England (opens in a new tab) from Historic England Detailed Guidance
Proposals for Marine and Protected Wrecks | Historic England (opens in a new tab) from Historic England Detailed Guidance
Coastal Change | Historic England (opens in a new tab) from Historic England Detailed Guidance
Applying for Licences for Protected Wreck Sites | Historic England (opens in a new tab) from Historic England Detailed Guidance
Protected Wreck Sites Planning Consents | Historic England (opens in a new tab) from Historic England Detailed Guidance

Enforcement and responsible bodies

The regulators that administer or enforce this legislation.

HES

Historic Environment Scotland

Investigates, cares for, and promotes Scotland's historic environment. Designates listed buildings, scheduled monuments, and conservation areas in Scotland.