Latest news with #FrenchWaters
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Fisherman caught in diplomatic row with France breaks silence
A British fishing skipper whose boat was seized by the French has accused them of threatening his livelihood. Phil Parker said the French maritime authorities had seized 200 whelk pots and robbed him of £6,000 of fishing income by impounding his boat The Lady T for six days before releasing it for a bond of €30,000 (£25,200). He also faces a fine of €45,000 Euros (£38,000) on top of the bond if found guilty by a French court of 'non-authorised fishing in French waters' in a non-EU boat. Speaking publicly about the incident for the first time, Mr Parker told The Telegraph he intended to fight the case to the bitter end, claiming he had been only 288 metres into EU waters when his boat was stopped by the French. He has the backing of British fishing industry leaders, who have accused the Labour Government of selling out the British fleet, and said the treatment of the Lady T showed the French were not interested in partnership. The Lady T, based in Eastbourne, East Sussex, was intercepted by the Pluvier, a French navy ship, on May 22 for 'non-authorised fishing in French waters'. Four days later, the vessel, which was accused of fishing for whelks without an External Waters Licence, was allowed to return to Britain following the payment of the 30,000 Euros bond. Mr Parker said he failed to realise that his boat's licence to fish in the waters where he was stopped had not been renewed when he set sail. But he said the French maritime authorities behaved vindictively by impounding his boat rather than letting him off with a warning.
Telegraph
6 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Owner of British fishing boat seized by French fined €30,000
A British fishing boat seized by French authorities in the English Channel last month was released after officials forced its owner to pay €30,000 (£25,260), it has been revealed. The Lady T, based in Eastbourne, East Sussex, was intercepted by the Pluvier, a French navy ship, on May 22 for 'non-authorised fishing in French waters'. Four days later, the vessel, which was accused of fishing for whelks without a licence, was allowed to return to Britain following the payment of what sources described at the time as a 'substantial' sum. Pierre-Michel Bon-Gloro, the deputy departmental director of territories and the sea for Pas-de-Calais, has now disclosed that the Lady T was released 'upon payment of a €30,000 deposit' to French maritime authorities. A fishing industry source said: 'The skipper of the Lady T is not at all happy about the French keeping the €30,000 bail. It's effectively a fine by any other word. 'He's set up a GoFundMe page to help him pay it because it's a hell of a lot of money for anyone to have to lose like that.' 'Tit-for-tat spat' Following the seizure of the Lady T, Olivier Leprêtre, chairman of the regional fishing committee in northern France, suggested it had been intercepted in a tit-for-tat spat. It came after the skipper and owner of Pierre D'Ambre, a French-registered vessel, were fined £40,000 at Newcastle magistrates' court in April after being accused of bottom-trawling in a prohibited area of the Offshore Brighton Marine Conservation Zone. Mr Leprêtre told The Times: 'Until now the French government has always favoured discussions to repression, as opposed to the British government which always imposes rules that are more and more restrictive, and more and more counterproductive for French fishermen. 'There comes a moment when you have to say: Stop.' Another French official said at the time that the Lady T was 'looking for it' after entering exclusive French waters. 'One moment it was in French waters, the next moment it was next to them,' they added. 'A very expensive lesson' The Telegraph understands that the Lady T has now returned to sea and is fishing in EU waters under an external waters licence. A source said: 'The skipper is feeling very sore about the entire episode, as you can imagine. He's been fishing in those waters all his life. 'He'd been waiting for his external waters licence when the boat was seized. It's been a very expensive lesson for him.' The seizure came days after Sir Keir Starmer granted EU fishermen access to British waters for another 12 years in a deal critics fear will damage the industry. Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, previously accused the French of 'shameful double standards' over the Lady T incident.
BBC News
25-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
France impounds UK vessel accused of illegal fishing
A British fishing vessel has been impounded by the French authorities, accused of illegally fishing in their was seized in the English Channel and is being held at the port of Boulogne, unable to leave while the French authorities consider bringing a vessel was stopped at sea by the French Navy on Thursday night, with its crew alleged to have been fishing in French waters without a incident comes days after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was criticised by British fishermen over his reset deal with the European Union, which gives EU fishing vessels access to UK waters for 12 more years. The Foreign Office said it was offering support to a British national in France and was in touch with local authorities."As the vessel remains subject to an ongoing investigation by French fisheries authorities, we are unable to comment further at this time," a government spokesperson to the French Coastguard, the navy patrol vessel Pluvier was conducting inspections in their waters overnight on 23 May, finding the British vessel to have been allegedly operating without a fishing vessel was diverted to Boulogne "for the purpose of initiating prosecution".The Conservatives accused the French authorities of "shameful double standards" over the home secretary Chris Philp said they had failed to stop thousands of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats, accusing France of "taking no action whatsoever at sea and often ushering the illegal immigrants into UK waters"."Yet when a UK fishing vessel is in French waters all of a sudden they are magically able to act. If the French can now intercept boats then they should start stopping the boats with illegal immigrants - as international law obliges them to do."The UK and the EU have struck a deal that covers fishing, trade, defence, energy and strengthening ties in a number of policy areas still up for negotiation.A key part of the deal involves giving European fishing boats a further 12 years of access to British waters in exchange for easing some trade from the Conservatives and Reform UK described the deal as a "surrender" to the EU, while the Liberal Democrats said the government had taken some "positive first steps" to rebuilding ties with Europe.
