Royal Navy ships were sent to patrol waters around Jersey amid an ongoing post-Brexit fishing row between the island and France.

The EU has complained to Britain that the terms of its post-Brexit trade deal are being ignored.

The European Commission said French fishing boats were facing “additional conditions” if they were to carry on operating, in breach of the terms of the agreement hammered out on Christmas Eve.

But in a call with Jersey’s chief minister John Le Fondre, Boris Johnson again voiced his “unequivocal support” for the actions taken by the island’s government.

Diplomatic efforts with France will be stepped up to prevent a repeat of the Jersey fishing dispute.

The Royal Navy will continue to keep a watch on events but the two vessels deployed to the Channel Island were ordered back to port after the French protest ended.

HMS Severn and HMS Tamar were deployed by the UK Government to “monitor the situation”, and Agence France-Presse reports France has despatched two patrol vessels as dozens of French fishing boats gathered near the island.

Dorset Echo: Jersey fishing rights dispute. (PA graphics)Jersey fishing rights dispute. (PA graphics)

HMS Tamar

HMS Tamar, named after the English river, is a Batch 2 River-class offshore patrol vessel belonging to the Royal Navy.

The 2,000-tonne ship is the seventh Royal Navy ship to be named Tamar and the fourth Batch 2 River-class vessel to be built.

In November 2013, the Royal Navy announced it had signed an Agreement in Principle to build three offshore patrol vessels, one of which was HMS Tamar.

The ships were built on the Clyde in Scotland and cost £348 million to build.

Tamar includes some 29 modifications and enhancements and was first lowered into water in October 2018.

Last month the ship became the first Royal Navy warship to be painted in dazzle camouflage since World War II.

HMS Severn

As the name suggests, HMS Severn is named after the River Severn, the longest river in Great Britain running for 220 miles.

The ship was the first to be named Severn in 56 years and was build by Vosper Thornycroft in Southampton specifically to be used as a fishery protection unit alongside her two sister ships Mersey and Tyne.

The ship was decommissioned in 2017 but the government decided to recommission the ship as part of preparations for Brexit with the ship being refitted in 2020.

In 2014, the Severn became the first River-class vessel to be deployed overseas to take up the Atlantic Patrol Tasking Force.