French port braces for storm in fishing row with Britain

FILE PHOTO: Fishing trawlers are docked at Boulogne-sur-Mer after Britain and the European Union brokered a last-minute post-Brexit trade deal, northern France, December 28, 2020. REUTERS/Charles Platiau/File Photo

BOULOGNE-SUR-MER, France (Reuters) - People who earn a living from fishing in the English Channel battened down the hatches on Monday for an escalation of a Franco-British row over fishing licences that they anticipate will be costly on all sides.

France alleges Britain is not honouring a post-Brexit deal https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/post-brexit-fishing-rules-heart-new-uk-france-clash-2021-10-28 on access to British fishing grounds and has said that from midnight (2300 GMT) on Monday it will retaliate https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/brexit-france-readying-sanctions-if-uk-withholds-fishing-licences-2021-10-27 by stepping up checks on trucks coming from Britain and barring British trawlers from docking in French ports.