Oops, Spain ‘invades’ Gibraltar
A GAFFE by a Whitehall civil servant has thrown the sovereignty of Gibraltar into question.
Spain – which has claimed the Rock as its own for over two centuries – has secured rights to manage its coastline in the name of the conservation of birds and bats.
The “invasion” was made possible when the official made an error in a map reference while applying for EU protection habitat status for the coast.
With a slip of the pen he unintentionally applied for status for an area of coastal waters off nearby Algeria.
Spain – without telling Britain – had meanwhile submitted a successful EU application to create a conservation zone taking in the shoreline of Gibraltar.