French trawlermen angered by the slow issuance of licenses to fish inside British waters after Brexit blocked lorries carrying UK-landed fish as they arrived in Boulogne-sur-Mer, Europe's largest seafood processing centre.

Britain's post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union allowed the bloc's fishermen to keep fishing deep into British waters, but only once they had received a license.

Those licenses were expected to be issued swiftly but instead some 80% of the French fleet in the northern Hauts-de-France region, from whose coastline Britain's southern shores are visible, were still waiting, French fishermen said.

Some 80 fishermen set off flares on the Boulogne docks, blocked two trucks with a barricade of wood pallets and barrels, and put up a sign that read: "You want to keep your waters??? OK ... So, keep your fish!!!".

Many of the skippers struggling to obtain a license were unable to meet the British demand for electronic data showing they had fished in UK waters during the five years running up to Britain's 2016 referendum on EU membership, Margolle said.

Read the latest news on Brexit here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/brexit/

Subscribe to The Telegraph on YouTube ► https://bit.ly/3idrdLH

Get the latest headlines: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/

Telegraph.co.uk and YouTube.com/TelegraphTV are websites of The Telegraph, the UK's best-selling quality daily newspaper providing news and analysis on UK and world events, business, sport, lifestyle and culture.