Three local residents were launching a fresh legal campaign today against plans to dismantle a fleet of so-called US navy ''ghost ships'' in the North-East.

Last week a High Court judge ruled that the licence modification issued by the Environment Agency allowing ships to be broken up in Hartlepool ''cannot stand''.

The decision was a victory for Friends of the Earth which is also battling to stop the ships being dismantled by Able UK.

The Environment Agency conceded that the licensing decision was flawed, but Able UK fought the case.

The ruling means, subject to any appeal, that the company will have to reapply for a licence and submit to an environmental assessment before work can begin on breaking up the ships.

Today Hartlepool residents Neil Gregan, 25, Stephen Hall, 43, and Ben Marley, 18, were joining the battle to stop any work at all going ahead. All three live near Able UK's Teesside Environmental Reclamation and Recycling Centre (TERRC), situated in the former docks at Hartlepool. They were asking the same judge who heard the successful FoE challenge, Mr Justice Sullivan, to declare that Hartlepool Borough Council's decision to grant Able UK planning permission in September was also legally flawed.

Opponents of the ships coming to Britain say they are ''toxic'' and could pose a threat to local wildlife habitats on international importance. The planning challenge is expected to last two days.

Four ships have currently made the transatlantic trip to Teesside from the James river in Virginia.

Able UK wants to decommission a total of 13 vessels.