Anger as giant EU ships still catching our fish... legally

FURIOUS campaigners have called for the Government to ensure a new fishing deal with the EU will no longer allow 11 massive vessels, each longer than Wembley's football pitch, to hoover up the UK's precious fish stock.

- By Steph Spyro DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR

Despite Brexit, the EU superships can legally rake in "British" fish but never land their catches at UK ports, campaign group Facts4EU said.

The group raised particular concern about the Dutch-owned Annelies Ilena "fish factory", operating under a Polish flag, which is 472ft long with a capacity of more than 14,000 tonnes.

Its length is the equivalent of 13 London red buses laid end-to-end and longer than Wembley's 344ft pitch. This month the gigantic vessel has again been clearing out UK waters, just 20 nautical miles off the coast of Scotland, and heading south down the east coast of England.

The second-longest EU factory fishing ship, the Dutch-flagged Willem van der Zwan, is 6ft shorter than the Annelies Ilena and was fishing off the Hebrides on Thursday.