The Mail can reveal that lawyers have lodged papers at the High Court in London in an attempt to stop the massive ship coming to town.



The huge vessel which is carrying 700 tonnes of asbestos has previously been refused entry across Europe and Asia on safety grounds but has been cleared to be scrapped here.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) recently granted Able UK an exemption to allow the 700ft vessel to be dismantled, yet lawyers claim the HSE acted unlawfully by saying there was nowhere else suitable to scrap it.

But lawyers say they have been told the ship could be safely disposed of in its native country.

Campaigners have vowed to stop the huge vessel being dismantled at Able UK's Graythorp site and the challenge has been lodged by Friends of Hartlepool.



The group's Jean Kennedy told the Mail: "If this happens it will be the start of a twilight toxic nightmare for the rest of our lives.

"We believe this ship is a danger to the people of Hartlepool who already suffer from the highest cancer rates in the country.

"We are determined to see this through and hope the courts will listen to us."

The papers were lodged by the Public Interest Lawyers group, which has previously represented Friends of Hartlepool in previous legal challenges against the so-called ghost ships.

Solicitor Gavin Sullivan today told the Mail: "We have launched a judicial review challenge against the HSE's decision to allow the toxic French ship into Hartlepool to be disposed of.

"We argue that the HSE has acted unlawfully because it has failed to follow its own publicly-stated policy in granting an exemption under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006.

"The HSE has said that there are no practicable alternatives to granting an exemption allowing the Clemenceau into Hartlepool.

"We firmly believe alternatives do exist and the HSE has failed to properly consider them.

"In particular, the HSE has failed to consider how the ship and all of its toxic waste can be properly dismantled and disposed of in France rather than in Hartlepool.

"We have been contacted by shipyard workers in the port of Brest where the Clemenceau is currently docked and they have explained to us in clear terms that there are facilities in France to safely dismantle and dispose of the asbestos onboard the Clemenceau."

No exact date has been given for the arrival of the 50-year-old ship, which was decommissioned in 1997. But it is expected to be later this month.

Mr Sullivan added: "We have asked Able UK to give us an undertaking not to import the ship until this matter has been resolved by the courts but it has failed to respond to our requests.

"Accordingly, we have asked the High Court to consider this case as a matter of urgency."

A spokesman for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said: "The HSE can confirm that this exemption decision has been challenged by a Hartlepool resident.

"The HSE cannot comment further until after the matter has been heard."