The Ross Revenge, the home of Radio Caroline, will need to make the trip up the east coast of England to have critical work carried out.

It was hoped that work would be carried out at a shipyard in Lowestoft but it has been decided the vessel is too heavy.

A spokesman for Radio Caroline said: "We have been liaising with the shipyard at Lowestoft since last year, but they have now decided that, while we can physically get Ross Revenge into their dry dock, the vessel is too heavy for their facility."

The ship will go past its former home of Grimsby. (Image: Colm O’Laoi/Radio Caroline)

Now the Revenge will travel past its former home of Grimsby, where it was previously a super trawler, before heading up the Humber to Hull.

There, it will be worked on at the MMS shipyard, which has a large dry dock, suited for the 220ft ship.

The spokesman continued: "The cost of tugs to tow Ross Revenge to Hull is considerably more, but the dry dock there is huge and we will save a good amount of money without the need to hire inflatable flotation bags and divers to fit them so that the ship could get over the entrance of the Lowestoft dry dock."

Because of the change in plans, tours will be available on the ship in May, where visitors can see what it was like on the ship when it broadcast pirate radio, with monthly broadcasts still taking place on the ship.

To carry out the critical repairs, fundraising and crowdfunding have taken place, with more than £350,000 raised.

© Eastern Daily Press