TWO ships from the "ghost fleet" will leave US waters tomorrow and head for the North-East amid fierce protests by environmentalists.

On Saturday, the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency gave permission for the vessels to enter British waters. Two more ships from the 13-strong fleet will begin the 22-day journey on Thursday.

Last week, a US judge decided not to stop the four ships leaving the country after environmental campaigners applied for a temporary restraining order.

But the judge has still to rule on whether the remaining nine ships can leave the moorings in the James River in Virginia.

Friends of the Earth's director, Tony Juniper, said: "We are extremely disappointed that the UK coastguard has given permission for ships from the US ghost fleet to enter British waters, particularly as a number of regulatory issues relating to the disposal of these ships on Teesside have yet to be resolved.

"These clapped-out, toxic boats should be disposed of in the US, and not sent on a hazardous journey across the Atlantic."

Tim Mallone, a US expert in ship salvage working on the dilapidated fleet, told The Northern Echo he could not understand why they were not scrapped in America.

He said the four ships about to leave were sturdy enough to make the 4,000-mile Atlantic crossing but the other nine were not as safe.

Mr Mallone, a project manager for Dominion Marine Group, said: "Yards over here have been begging for the US Government for the work and they are all scratching their heads wondering why they didn't get the contract."

He warned that the main danger posed by the ships was for the workers who cut up the rusting hulks as they contained asbestos, deadly PCBs, lead and oil.

Able UK won a £16m contract - creating 200 jobs - to dismantle the ships at its Graythorp dock.

Hartlepool Borough Council was condemned by about 150 angry protestors at a public meeting on Friday for not doing more to stop the ships coming.

Able UK has accused environmentalists of scare-mongering and says the contract "can only be good news for the council and for the local community".