The captain and crew of a British trawler released from French detention set sail for home on Wednesday night as it emerged that Britain has granted 96 per cent of fishing licences requested by France.

The Cornelis Gert Jan, a Scottish-registered scallop dredger, left Le Havre after dusk having been held there since last week when it was accused of fishing in French waters without an appropriate licence.

Jondy Ward, the boat's captain, had been free to leave but wanted to stay with his vessel, his lawyer said. Earlier on Wednesday, after appearing at a court in Rouen, he said he wanted to "get out of here today".

At the hearing, a judge overturned attempts by local officials to force him to pay a €150,000 bond before the vessel could be freed. France was accused of playing a "political game" by demanding such a huge sum.

Read the full story here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2021/11/03/british-fishing-trawler-seized-french-authorities-finally-freed/

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