Spanish government vessels have unlawfully entered British territorial waters around Gibraltar more than 600 times since the start of 2013, according to official figures.

PICTURESQUE coastal areas hit

Picturesque coastal areas hit by the Prestige oil tanker spill were facing a fresh deluge of sludge today, with fierce winds blowing slicks in from the Atlantic.

Outraged Morocco has dubbed a surprise military assault by helicopter-borne Spanish troops who recaptured a disputed Mediterranean island an act of war.

Spain has sent three war vessels to protect its possessions in North Africa as Morocco continued a military occupation of an uninhabited Spanish islet for a third day.