Britain’s abandoned ‘town’ in the ocean saw 265 people live in wood shacks on STILTS connected by rickety bridges

OFF the coast of England a group of forts from the 1940s lie suspended above blue waters - an eerie remnant of a past "ocean town."

The unique forts were built by civil engineer Guy Maunsell, and the four navy forts and three army forts placed in the Thames Estuary still stand today.

Located seven miles off the coast of Whitstable, in Kent, the former defence base was constructed to help British soldiers defend London against German plane attacks.

The forts were connected by steel walkways, and each 36x36 two storey building housed weaponry and sleeping accommodations.

Decades later, the formerly pristine steel walkways have rusted over and many have collapsed completely.

At any given time, a whopping 265 men lived on each fort - an "isolating cold" experience.

A combination of army and navy soldiers lived in the "ocean city" until the end of the war.

While stationed, the soldiers stationed out on the water managed to shoot down 22 planes and 30 bombers during the second world war.

After the war, the forts laid essentially abandoned, but in the 1960s, were used as pirate radios.

For 73 years, the forts have battled against the elements, including crashing waves, strong wind and torrential rain.

Nowadays, the shells of the former military bases are only visible if you take a boat ride out - like photographer Scott Amling.

He recalled to : "The forts had this rust and patina on the surface of the metal sides and you could see how they were constructed in plates riveted together.

"The winter fog and lack of visibility added to the mystery of the forts."

The Redsand Fort allegedly helped sink more than 100 ships who entered the estuary.

In recent years, there have been renovation projects which have attempted to restore the forts to their former glory.

Project Redsand aims to renovate the former gun towers into a luxury resort, which would contain executive apartments, a spa and a leisure centre.