Wrecked

Over 200 years ago, the wreckers on the Wirral peninsula were ransacking Liverpool-bound vessels with notorious ferocity.

Neil McCarthy explores the history of their illicit activities

After the end of the wrecking era, huge crowds came to the Victorian seaside resort of New Brighton, but they too have now gone.

Neil sets out to discover whether the wild spirit of the wreckers lives on in the area today.

Producers: Mark Burman and Neil McCarthy

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2009.