TWO potentially devastating hurricanes were last night threatening to delay the arrival of a condemned US "ghost fleet" in the North-East.

The Northern Echo revealed yesterday how the US Maritime Administration responsible for the mothballed ships had cleared them to leave, even though British coastguards' have not yet given their permission.

Last night, weather conditions looked set to affect the immediate future of the fleet, which campaigners say is an environmental disaster in the making.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said hurricanes Henry and Isobel were in any case likely to delay their departure from their moorings in the James River, Virginia.

Spokesman Mark Clark said winds of up to 160mph were forecast in the area through which the fleet would have to travel. He said: "There is absolutely no way that these vessels would be allowed to go at the moment."

Mr Clark said the agency was only about half way through a "great long checklist" of documents required before permission could be given for the arrival of the fleet in UK waters.

The granting of a certificate from the US coastguard guaranteeing that the fleet is structurally sound has also been delayed.

The 13-strong fleet, which contains up to 500,000 gallons of oil and other chemicals such as lead, asbestos and cancer causing poly-chlorinated biphenyls, is due to be dismantled by Hartlepool company Able UK.

The Environment Agency is understood to have granted Able the licence it needs to recycle the ships, but it still has to receive planning permission to build a temporary dam at its Teesside Environmental Reclamation and Reycling Centre (TERRC) at Graythorp, to create a dry dock for when they arrive.

Hartlepool Borough Council is expected to announce today whether it will call for an environmental impact assessment report from the company before considering the planning application.

Environmental groups in the US and the UK are threatening legal action over the fleet to try and halt its arrival.

Hartlepool Mayor Stuart Drummond said he was "not comfortable" with the arrival, but stressed that all the council could do was to ensure all safeguards were in place.

Mike Childs, of Friends of the Earth, said: "The nightmare scenario is that these ships set out and find out they have not got a home to go to and end up bobbing around off the British coast during winds and storms before breaking up and releasing their cargo.

"Why risk this when America has the capacity and the skills and the moral obligation to deal with it?"

Meanwhile, business leaders yesterday called for an end to "scaremongering".

Neil Etherington, chief executive of the Tees Valley Development Company, said: "This latest contract is in many ways no different from the kind of work which has been going on at TERRC for a number of years with no great fuss and no horror headlines."