10 September 2003 – Plans to scrap rusting former US naval ships on Teesside pose a "serious environmental risk" to the coastline of north-east England, according to a tourist chief.

A 13-strong fleet of cargo and military vessels is being brought 4,000 miles from Virginia, to be scrapped at a Hartlepool dockyard. The deal is expected to create 200 jobs at Able UK's Hartlepool yard.

The plan has already been criticised by environmental groups, who are worried about the possible risks from asbestos and fuel oil.

The company has dismissed the fears as "scaremongering".

But now, Bob Pendlebury, who is chairman of the Northumbria Tourist Board, a Durham county councillor and also chairman of the County Durham Environmental Partnership, has called for the work to be abandoned.

Mr Pendlebury said the £10.6m deal posed "a serious environmental threat" to the success of a multi-million pound programme to clean-up the North-East coast - blighted by decades of coal mining.

'Dirty history'

He said: "I am very suspicious of the Americans, who should not be shipping this out to other countries, when they are capable of carrying out any work over there.

"There is a distinct danger to the North East coast in that these ships could break up while being towed here.

"There is also a danger that materials inside these ships could escape while they are being stripped down or when they are laying offshore.

"We have had a history in the North East of dirt and dereliction and this will only emphasise this. It will damage the efforts we have made to attract investment and tourism."

More than £10m has been spent on the Turning the Tide project, which has cleaned up miles of coastline from Tyneside to Teesside.

Hartlepool Borough Council has told Able UK an environmental impact assessment may be needed before a planning application for the project is confirmed.

English Nature has also warned Hartlepool Borough Council that the construction of the dry dock dam needed for the ships is likely to have significant effects on birds on nearby wetlands.

'Self-destruct button'

Peter Stephenson, managing director of Able UK, said: "There is no more risk to the marine environment during transportation than for any other ship on the high seas.

"I am in the business of creating jobs and security on Teesside, not pressing the self-destruct button.

"Only a fool would go ahead with such a dangerous, unhealthy and reckless process as some pressure groups have suggested.

"Dismantling these vessels in what is one of the best facilities in the world, is far preferable to the fate of very many other ships which end their days being sent to the bottom of the ocean."

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency has said the vessels will not be allowed into the UK if they are shown to pose a significant environmental threat.