Great news for workers up north....saves them filling up the south of England Jobs......

paul, poole, gb

I live approx 1 mile from where the waste on this ship will be buried. This is just the begining and Hartlepool will pay the price of cleaning up the worlds mess.

What next? Nuclear subs?

Most people in Hartlepool don't want this on thier doorstep. We have been let down by the carpet baggers

Geoff Lilley, Hartlepool, cleveland

Can some one please identify the four American "ghost ships?" Are they ore carriers from the Great lakes or warships?

Eric, Camdenton, Missouri, USA

removal of asbestos has to be done in controlled conditions. so people are not just going to be ripping it out. you build enclosures and wear proper RPE & PPE. plus you have a filter that removes fibres from the air.

but yes france should be the ones who deal with it as its their mess

Deno, Preston,

A once great ship. It's beautiful lines and sleek design made it the fastest navel vessel in the world and could reach speeds of 33 knots at full-astern. It saw action in the war of the fishing boats off Corsica. It even entered the Mediterranean for ships liberty at Monte Carlo during the Gulf War.

Ed, Atlanta, Georgia, US

This is very dangerous work which is why the French and Americans do not want to dismantle the ships.
Asbestos kills over 3500 pa in the UK and the number is increasing despite all the "controls", which have consistently underestimated the dangers.
England's HSE/HPA are worthy of the third world

David, London,

Despite the impotently enraged comments of some posters, dismantling the considerably toxic ship in a UK facility is safer, due to the improved safeguards and technology available. If the work had been done in India, it would have carried out by a workforce ignorant of the potential risks.

Steven Gund, London, England

Smart move sending it to India first, environmentalists are perenially glass half-full types, but rescuing this health hazard from the developing world makes killing slightly richer people a little more palatable.

Peter, Norwich, UK

This saga is in a time honoured French tradition. Well into the late 80's France was still detonating atomic weapons on Maururoa Atoll in the South Pacific well away from Provence but handing the local populations a sizable dose of radiation.

Waldo, Sydney, Australia

"It always seems like a lack of gratitude to break them up after they have served their purpose."

Pete, I have many sleepless nights.

Ian, Manchester,

When you say "saw some action" does that mean they they actually took part, or did they just turn up and watch from the safety of their deckchairs ?

Peter Hooper, Windsor, UK

Why couldn't the French have disposed of the ship? They made the mess, they should have cleared it up.

Keith, Grantham,

They should have towed it out to the South Sandwich Trench and sunk it, at 5miles down it's be perfectly safe.

Phill, The Wirral, England

Isn't Hartlepool on Teesside??

Nigel Maughan, Reading, UK

Hartlepool is not on Tyneside

davey, Athens, Greece

I dont think there is a sad a sight as a once great warship being readied for dismantling.
It always seems like a lack of gratitude to break them up after they have served their purpose.

Pete, St Albans, England

Since when has Hartlepool been on Tyneside?

Mike S, London,

rather than breaking up these great ships, they should send them to bangladesh who are losing land and literally dont have any land to go to.... alot of people are turning to live on boats and we should help as we can...

MM, Manchester, UK

Lets be honest,"Money does not stink" and if Brittain can´t
built them any more then tear them up.Work is always needed.

ralph pilkingon, Zorneding nr.Munich, Germany

Good for Able UK and anyone who wants to see the north-east getting back to its industrial strength.

Andy Taylor, Reading,