Boris Johnson  has come under furious attack after being accused of breaking Brexit promises to the UK small fishing community, a move branded “appalling and extremely shameful”.

The Prime Minister made “taking back control” of the UK’s coastal waters one of his key messages as he desperately attempted to win support for his Brexit deal with the European Union. But despite insisting Britain would thrive outside the EU, the nation’s small fishing community has been left furious by monstrous supertrawlers – some as huge as 100 metres – and the controversial method of fly-shooting. Environmentalists warned EU supertrawlers are continuing to plunder UK waters despite a pledge from Mr Johnson to ban vessels which he claimed early last year were “hoovering up” fish.

But Greenpeace has warned supertrawlers and fly-shooters – a process that involves dragging heavy ropes along the seafloor, encircling entire shoals of fish in a single quick swoop – are continuing to batter the stocks available to British fishermen.