John Rowley who is the owner of the TSS Duke of Lancaster ship in north Wales, has slammed urban explorers who broke into the veteran vessel by "scaling the anchor chain" earlier this week. 

Rowley, who owns the dry docked vessel in Mostyn, says it was "raided" on Sunday night and Monday night.

The ship has not been used since the 1980's and has become something of a local curio in subsequent decades for people who have caught a glimpse of it while driving past on the coast road in Flintshire.

In 2014, it was painted black in a move that proved contentious with residents after a Latvian graffiti artist had been commissioned to spray paint the ship only two years prior.

But in the last week it has attracted some unwanted attention by urban explorers who broke into the ship in order to get a closer look and to explore the hull. According to Mr Rowley, the urban explorers "climbed over razor wired security fencing, scaled an anchor chain to get on an upper deck of the ship and then broke inside from there after helping others get onboard."

More from NorthWalesLive on the former 1,800 passenger 'steamer' which Afloat adds was built by Harland & Wolff in 1955 for British Rail/Sealink to serve a career throughout the Irish Sea.

The ferry which in the 1970's was converted to convey cars included service on the Holyhead-Dun Laoghaire route and last year a festival was planned at the dry-docked ship.