Seized British fishing boat released by French
A British fishing boat seized in the Channel by French authorities has been released, The Telegraph understands.
The skipper of the Lady T, who appeared in a court in Boulogne-sur-Mer on Monday afternoon, has been ordered to pay a 'substantial fine', sources have claimed.
A court source in Boulogne-sur-Mer also confirmed the Lady T had been released.
The exact amount has not been disclosed.
The Lady T, based in Eastbourne, East Sussex, was intercepted by a French navy ship on Thursday for fishing for whelks without a licence.
Olivier Leprêtre, the chairman of the regional fishing committee in northern France, suggested on Sunday that the boat had been seized as a tit-for-tat measure after a French skipper was fined in a case last month.
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: 'Fantastic news that the French have released this vessel. It should never have been impounded in the first place.
'If the French put half as much effort into stopping illegal immigrants as they did into harassing British fishermen then we would not have floods of illegal immigrants crossing the channel.
'I urge the French to direct their efforts towards stopping the small boats as they are obliged to do under international law.'
Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the Tory MP for Chingford and Woodford Green and former party leader, told The Telegraph French authorities had blamed the number of migrants boats leaving for the UK as the reason they were initially unable to seize the British vessel.
He said: 'As the French were seizing the British fishing boat, I understand they complained that there were so many migrant boats leaving the French coast for the UK and getting in their way that they had difficulty seizing the British fishing boat.'
Richard Tice, the deputy leader of Reform UK, said: 'Why can the French catch legal British fishing boats but not illegal migrant dinghies? Do they not love their neighbours?'
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