Royal Navy investigating claims that German Navy snagging crab pots off Plymouth coast

Devonshire fisherman demanding compensation for damage for lost catches

Devon fishermen claim German boats have caused thousands of pounds of damage (Alamy)

The English Channel has witnessed many battles throughout the ages, but this may be the strangest yet.

The Royal Navy is investigating claims from angry Devonshire fisherman that the German Navy has been snagging crab pots off the coast of Plymouth.

The fishermen claim that the mighty Die Bonn and Frankfurt Am Main supply ships, which are both 174 metres long, have caused thousands of pounds of damage by running through crab-catching equipment.

“We have been losing a lot of gear due to the warships being around and towing over our lines so we are losing pots as well as time and money,” Seb McDonald, a local fisherman, told the BBC.

The Royal Navy confirmed that the ships were part of international exercises organised by its Flag Officer Sea Training (Fost) base in Plymouth, although it said that at the moment it had “no evidence” that the ships had encroached on the fishing areas.

But fishermen are demanding compensation for damage for lost catches and damage to their equipment over the past fortnight.

“It’s been a bit of a nightmare. They think they have right of way. It’s a blatant disregard for us,” Mr McDonald added. Another fisherman, Lee Tapper, said he had lost £8,000 worth of equipment.

“If the damage being inflicted on us was being inflicted on land or any other industry in the country, there would be complete uproar,” he said.

“It’s horrendous at the moment. We are losing pots and fishing time – we won’t recover from it very quickly,” added his brother Brian. A Fost spokesman said: “We had meetings with the fishing community this summer and after those meetings we highlighted an area they would like our ships under training to keep clear of because of their fishing activity.

“We are currently investigating the allegations but at this time we have found no evidence to say that the ships encroached into the area we were advised to stay clear of. We are still awaiting completion of our investigation,” he added.

“If it is confirmed as our fault we recompense the individuals. We have to make sure we are certain that an incident has happened.

“But we are very keen to make sure that if something has gone wrong we will set things right,” the spokesman said.

This is the second time the German Navy has been in the news in recent months – though this time for more positive reasons.

Navy staff helped deliver a Somali migrant’s baby in August, hours after the mother was rescued from the Mediterranean sea.

The baby was born on board the Schleswig Holstein rescue boat as it headed for the Italian coast.