A group of surfers attempted to deliver 50 limbless dolls to the company behind the ghost fleet project today.

The Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) group claim the dolls were symbolic of the harmful affects PCBs, which they allege the ships are carrying, are thought to have on humans, and in particular birth defects.

Along with local campaigners, they took part in a march at Able UK's headquarters in Billingham to protest at plans to dismantle 13 former US Navy vessels at its Hartlepool yard.

As well as the dolls they also had surfboards and a giant inflatable toxic drum.

Richard Hardy, from SAS, said: "The dolls have child like faces and make an emotive statement.

"We want to get our point across that these PCBs are harmful. Unfortunately Able were not prepared to speak to us."

However, Peter Stephenson, managing director at Able UK said any claims about the levels of PCBs on board the vessels were completely, totally and utterly wrong.

He said: "Of course people are perfectly free to express their views on the project, but I find it totally repugnant to have an organisation which appears to have made no effort to check the real facts effectively, suggesting we are party to an operation which could threaten human health and cause birth defects.

"I want to make it absolutely clear this suggestion is completely, totally and utterly wrong.

"The facts are these ships have no cargo. They do not carry any liquid PCBs, the only items they may contain are minute amounts of fixed PCB compounds that may be in plastics, seals and rubberised materials you would find on any old ship or building factory."

The first four of the 13 vessels have left their moorings on the James River in Virginia, with two of them expected to have completed their 4,500 mile voyage to Teesside early next month.