FISHERMEN in Ireland have said they have no intention of leaving disputed waters off Rockall as a row over access rights intensified.

Scottish Fisheries Minister Fergus Ewing threatened action if Irish vessels continued their “illegal activity” around the uninhabited outcrop 260 miles off the Outer Hebrides which the UK claims sovereignty over.

They said they would take enforcement action against any vessels caught within 12 nautical miles of the North Atlantic islet.

But yesterday John O’Kane, of Greencastle Fishermen’s Co-operative, said three Irish skippers were continuing to fish in the area, as they had done for the past 30 years.

Speaking to RTE, O’Kane said the Irish boats were inside the 12-mile exclusion zone but the fishermen said there had been no sign of any naval patrols.

“They are going to continue fishing there,” he said. “They have been fishing there for the last five months this year and for the last 30 years. Our co-op has been in existence for 30 years and during that period of time we have had boats off Rockall every single year.

“They are going to see out their trips. They have no intention of leaving there at the moment.

“What the Scots have done is brought in a rule that is against the law of the sea. It is against EU law and has no legal standing whatsoever.”

But Ewing told the BBC: “This is a routine enforcement matter to ensure that illegal activity within the UK’s territorial waters, namely within a radius of 12 miles of the islet of Rockall, ceases.

“We have been engaging with the Irish government for a considerable length of time because we would prefer that this matter is resolved by discussion and negotiation amicably, and that remains the case.”

He said the Irish government had been formally notified of intended enforcement action on May 31, adding: “We are sure of the legal position and of our legal ground and it is my duty to ensure that the law is enforced.”