European Court of Justice supports Spanish trawlers ' claims

Britain unlawfully banned Spanish trawlers from quota-hopping, the European Court of Justice said yesterday. The decision, which infuriated UK fishermen, will now lead to a multi-million pound compensation claim for loss of earnings by the fishermen.

The fisheries minister, Tony Baldry, promised to resist the claims and warned Britain would be seeking EU treaty changes to end quota-hopping, which enables foreign vessels to register in Britain and take part of the national quota catch. A High Court hearing has been set for next summer.