THE prospect of the so-called 'ghost fleet' coming to Hartlepool has never had much clarity.

But the confusion surrounding the contract has reached new heights, with the surprise decision by the Environment Agency to block the arrival of the redundant ships.

There appears no logical explanation for the Agency to wait until vessels are only a few days from our shores before it scuppered the contract.

Surely it was possible for such decisions to be taken before the ships set sail.

Because of the dithering, there is now the prospect of these ageing vessels being stranded in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean at the mercy of the winter seas.

That is a situation that must not be tolerated. The Environment Agency has a duty now to be decisive and determine once and for all whether it is safe for the ships to be brought to Hartlepool, or else return them immediately to the United States.

It is clear that the balance of public opinion wants to see the ships turned back.

Despite the best public relations efforts of Able UK and its supporters, environmental concerns remain.

The lack of clarity on the issue from bodies such as the Environment Agency has not eased suspicions.

If the contract goes ahead, there are understandable fears that a series of similar contracts will follow.

After strenuous efforts by Hartlepool and the surrounding area to cast aside its heavy industrial image, it will be a pity if the town gains a reputation as a dumping ground for overseas waste.

If the ships are safe, then why is the United States prepared to meet the extravagant cost of sending them across 4,000 miles of ocean to another country to be dismantled, when the work could have been done in one of its own yards.

Until there is a satisfactory answer to that fundamental question there will be little welcome for this contract and the 200 jobs it promises to bring.