NINE of the condemned US warships earmarked for disposal in a North-East yard will not arrive in the region until next spring, officials admitted last night.

It was originally hoped that all 13 mothballed US navy ships would be en route to the Able UK yard, in Hartlepool, by the end of next month.

Four of the rusting hulks have already left the US Naval reserve fleet on the James River in Virginia. They are due to reach Britain by the end of the month.

Able UK has faced a storm of protest from environmentalists and some local councillors, who said the ships represented a pollution threat.

Legal action in the US by two environmental groups, Basle Action Network and the Sierra Club, has already delayed the plans.

Last night, Able UK admitted that the four ships heading for Hartlepool will be the only ones to sail this year.

The company said it had agreed to suspend the £11m operation until the US legal position was made clear.

That means the remaining nine vessels will not be sailing to the UK until the spring at the earliest, as towing them across the Atlantic in winter would be too dangerous.

Able UK managing director Peter Stephenson said: "We were going to bring six, but because of the ruling we will bring four this year and nine next. It's not a problem."

Meanwhile, Environment Agency officials warned the company that a wrangle over planning permission could have serious repercussions.

Hartlepool Borough Council wrote to Able UK earlier this week saying the firm did not have planning permission for a dry dock at its Graythorp site - something bitterly disputed by the company.

Mr Stephenson said: "We already have planning permission and are in discussions with Hartlepool council to sort out the grey areas.

"The method we are going to use may be a bit different from what we intended, so we will decide whether we have to submit a new planning application next week.

"A dry dock is the safest and most environmentally friendly way to do it and that it what we would prefer to do."

Environment Agency spokesman Craig McGarvey said: "The company has to work with Hartlepool council to make sure it gets the planning permission.

"We hope the dismantling work will take place inside a dry dock. If it doesn't look like that is going to happen, we would have to fundamentally review the situation."

Friends of the Earth welcomed the developments. Its legal advisor Phil Michaels said: "It is quite appropriate that the Environment Agency has finally recognised the whole deal has been built round the availability of a dry dock to do the work.

"If it doesn't exist, that will alter the legal and regulatory picture."