Gib tug-of-war: Cameron calls for European Commission to send inspectors to the border

BRITISH prime minister David Cameron has called for the European Commission to send inspectors to Gibraltar to study what he calls 'excessive' border checks by Spanish authorities, leading to queues of between three and seven hours for commuters and tourists.

He is said to have telephoned EC president José Manuel Durão Barroso to give his opinions on the tense situation between the UK and Spain over the Rock, and is also gathering evidence that the border inspections are 'illegal' and merely a retaliation to Gibraltar's having dropped concrete blocks in the sea to make an artificial reef.

Spanish authorities say the blocks will destroy fishing nets and also a major source for fishermen from Spain, whilst the UK says Spanish patrol boats have staged incursions in Gibraltarian waters and opened fire on a jet-skier.

Barroso is said to have confirmed to Cameron (pictured below right) that he will have 'no hesitation' in applying EU laws in relation to the border inspections.

He says he has been monitoring the situation closely and hopes the two countries can resolve the issues themselves 'as two EU member States should' and without having to involve the Commission to arbitrate.

Spain's foreign minister José Manuel García-Margallo has also threatened to actually increase the random stop-checks, to close Spanish airspace to Gibraltar flights and to charge 50 euros to cross the border.

Minister for the interior Jorge Fernández Díez says the Gibraltar border 'cannot be a frontier for contraband cigarette smuggling', which he claims the checks are in place to prevent.

In the meantime, MEP for Gibraltar Julie Girling has called for Brits to boycott Spain for their holidays to put pressure on the authorities of the country to 'stop their outlandish bullying'.

Spain has always maintained that even if the Rock has to be British, the waters around it remain Spanish and that the Utrecht treaty covering its sovereignty no longer applies,

Gibraltar's citizens have overwhelmingly expressed their desire to remain British, given that they live in an area with only three per cent unemployment and some of the highest income per capita on the mainland, compared to Andalucía region's 29 per cent jobless and much lower income per head.