7 October 2003 (London) – A controversial scheme to dismantle a fleet of polluted U.S. ships in Britain was thrown into chaos on Tuesday after a UK regional authority said the company involved lacked proper planning permission.

The district authority in northeast England, which oversees the site where the ships are supposed to be scrapped, said in a statement the demolition firm Able UK had "no valid planning" permission for a proposed dam and gates to provide a secure dry dock for them to be dismantled.

"In the light of our latest decision, we have advised Able UK's solicitors that if Able UK requires dry dock facilities in order to carry out its proposed ships' decommissioning, then the required planning permissions are not in place," Hartlepool District Council said in a statement.

It was not immediately clear what would happen to two of the decrepit hulks which left their anchorage points on the James River, Virginia on Monday for the three-week trip across the Atlantic.

The ancient ships are polluted with asbestos, quantities of toxic polychlorinated biphenyls and varying amounts of heavy fuel oil.

Able UK, the firm contracted by the U.S. Maritime Administration to dispose of the ships, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Environmental Group Friends of the Earth (FOE) immediately called for the return of the ancient "ghost fleet" ships to U.S. shores until the matter had been resolved.

"UK authorities have been rushed into making a bad decision by commercial interests and American regulators keen to dispose of a toxic hazard," FOE said in a statement.

"These ships must not be allowed into UK waters. They should immediately be turned back and disposed of in the USA where they were created," it said.

Another two former U.S. Navy "ghost fleet" hulks, out of a total of 13 to be scrapped in the UK, were due to leave from the United States on Wednesday.