A campaign being run by the Evening Gazette is at odds with popular opinion - but seems to be turning the tide.

The Teesside paper is campaigning to allow so-called "ghost ships" from America to come to the North East to be broken up.

Environmentalists have been up in arms at the prospect but supporters say it would be safer to break the ships in a place where there are stringent guidelines rather than let them go elsewhere in the world where such work is less regulated.

Opponents are worried about toxins being released - but the North East is well-prepared for such a project.

Editor Steve Dyson said: "At one stage we were the only people backing the £11m contract, which will create 200 jobs on Teesside.

"Now, of course, the likes of Hartlepool MP Peter Mandelson and other commentators have jumped on board and it seems the tide could be turning in favour of the work being allowed to be carried out.

"The vast majority of the material on the first two ships will be recycled. Some asbestos and hazardous chemicals will be taken from the ships and placed in a landfill site at nearby Seaton Carew. But the site has been designated for the purpose, and this will not change, wherever the waste comes from.

"The truth is that what's on board the "ghost ships" is minuscule in comparison to the waste, oil and dangerous materials that float up and down the Tees on scores of tankers and other merchant vessels every day.

"We have the knowledge, skills and legal framework to dismantle older ships that other countries cannot deal with."

The company that would get the work has been dismantling oilrigs for seven years, he said, and the ships project would be a small but welcome job for its workforce.

As a result of being the only media interested in this solution, the Gazette has been interviewed on various BBC chat shows, including Drive Time on Radio 5, and the analysis pages of the Guardian.

Steve said: "The coverage in the Gazette has shone thanks to the efforts of environment correspondent Matt Pardo and our Thursday edition of the ships finally coming in were a superb series co-ordinated by chief photographer Doug Moody."

Coverage can be seen at www.icteesside.co.uk.

A final decision on what happens to the ships could be made at a forthcoming local authority planning meeting.

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