The call came from both Hartlepool Council and the Environment Agency as a day-long hearing was held yesterday when a range of bodies voiced their views on the issue.

Yesterday the agency withdrew its approval for Able UK's contract with the United States authorities to dismantle 13 of the aged ships at its Graythorp yard in Hartlepool.

The agency said authorisations for the dismantling were invalid because of a planning wrangle over creating a dry dock at the yard.

And after a cross-party motion tabled by nine Hartlepool councillors, an extraordinary council meeting will be held on Tuesday to debate a call to ask Transport Minister Alistair Darling to use his powers to turn back the ships.

It is believed that the vessels are now near the Azores and are expected off the North-East in the middle of November.

The agency, English Nature, Friends of the Earth, Able UK, Tees Valley Regeneration, the Health and Safety Executive, and Teesside's Industry Nature Conservation Association made presentations to the council's scrutiny committee yesterday at a packed publicly-attended meeting in Hartlepool Civic Centre.

Council chief executive Paul Walker said that in his view the four ships heading for the town should be returned to the USA. He said: "The council indicated from the outset that it supported the economic and regeneration benefits of the project, subject to the necessary permissions being in place.

"However, both the Environment Agency and Hartlepool Council are firmly of the view that the necessary permissions are not in place, and if that view holds good, I think there is no other alternative but for the ships to turn around and head back to the USA."

Craig McGarvey, agency area manager, said: "We have asked the company to consider returning the vessels to the United States."

He said that when the agency originally gave approval it was because it believed all permissions were in place for the operation of a dry dock and dismantling in a safe environmental manner.

"Approval was issued on an assumption that all permissions could be in place for dry dock dismantling. It has become clear that several permissions and plans are not in place and that dry dock working cannot be enforced," he said.

Able UK managing director Peter Stephenson believed all the necessary paperwork would be in place before the ships arrived.

Mr Stephenson said: "We remain satisfied that we have relevant planning permissions in place for the recycling of the vessels and the creation of dry dock facilities.

"We have applied for approvals from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in relation to work on the dry dock facilities, cover= ing matters such as dredging.

"Given that similar approvals have been given in the past, we are confident these will be in place by mid-November."