Gib tug-of-war: Spain's foreign ministry hotly denies incursion and warns UK over 'inappropriate diplomatic behaviour'

MEP David Lidington called an emergency meeting with Spanish ambassador in the UK, Federico Trillo, to express his discontent after a Spanish Naval ship attempted to divert two vessels from the port of Gibraltar, claiming they were in Spain's waters – which they were not. 

Lidington called the incident 'unacceptable' and 'another cynical attempt' by Spain to 'disrupt Gibraltar's economy, in contravention of international law'.

But Spanish foreign secretary Ignacio Ybáñez has passed on his 'most energetic protest and disgust' over what he maintains are 'rigorously false and unacceptable accusations' concerning the Spanish Navy's 'routine activity'.

He insists there was no breach of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea as Lidington states. 

Ybáñez called a meeting with British ambassador in Spain, Simon Manley in answer to the UK having done likewise with Trillo in order to protest against 'the manner in which London has handled the supposed incident'. 

The fifth occasion Trillo has been called to the UK Foreign Office about issues relating to Gibraltar – over 600 incursions by Spanish Forces into its waters in 18 months, and 'deliberately over-zealous' border checks 'in petty retaliation' in light of Spain's ongoing dispute of the Rock's sovereignty, in Britain's own words - Ybáñez considers this to be 'a step too far'. 

“Summoning ambassadors is a very serious action which should be kept for situations of extreme seriousness,” stormed the foreign affairs secretary.

“These repeated summons of the Spanish ambassador to the Foreign Office over alleged incidents which, between allied countries should be treated in a very different manner, are creating an inappropriate diplomatic climate,” warned Ybáñez.