THE last of four rusting former US Navy ships to arrive in the North-East was last night delayed by bad weather as the deal to scrap the fleet faced fresh criticism.

The 14,500-tonne Compass Island was due to dock at Able UK's Graythorp base, near Hartlepool today. But Able officials said a poor forecast meant it was unlikely to arrive until about 10.30am tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Norman Baker, MP, the Liberal Democrats' shadow secretary of state for the environment, is due to visit the Able dockyard on a fact-finding mission today.

He also plans to take in the Seaton Meadow landfill site where disposal of waste material from the ships will take place.

Last night, Trevor Peel, chairman of the Hartlepool Liberal Democrats group, said: "Our view is that it is good environmental practice to dismantle, recycle and manage the waste disposal from these ships as close as possible to where they came from.

"We also have serious concerns about the putting of large amounts of toxic waste into landfill sites near urban areas."

Three ships, the Caloosahatchee, the Canisteo, and the Canopus, have already arrived on Teesside where they will be stored over the winter.

Two legal challenges are due to be heard in the High Court later this month which will determine whether work to dismantle them goes ahead.

The first, on Monday, is being brought by Friends of the Earth, which says that the Environment Agency did not properly address the potential environmental impact of scrapping the ships in the North-East when it issued Able a modified waste licence.

A separate challenge is also being brought by residents in Hartlepool which will examine the planning permissions in place at the Graythorp site.

The remaining nine vessels which form part of the former Navy fleet will remain in the US until at least spring, pending legal challenges there.

Able says the £11m deal to scrap the ships will create 200 jobs.