Boats carrying the Ukip leader Nigel Farage and the prominent Remain supporter Sir Bob Geldof have clashed in a bizarre "battle for the Thames" ahead of the EU referendum.

Nigel Farage proclaimed the flotilla of up to 60 vessels, which passed under London's Tower Bridge at around 10am, was "not a celebration or a party but a full-throttled protest".

Geldof was joined by Rachel Johnson, sister of former London mayor Boris and a prominent Remain campaigner, on a boat blasting out the song "In With The In Crowd" on a large on-board sound system.

And video from the Thames showed a number of rubber speedboats bearing large "In" banners weaving in and out of the Brexit fleet.

Nigel Farage joins 'Fishing for Leave' flotilla campaigning for Brexit Show all 10 1 /10 Nigel Farage joins 'Fishing for Leave' flotilla campaigning for Brexit Nigel Farage joins 'Fishing for Leave' flotilla campaigning for Brexit A Fishing for Leave pro-Brexit "flotilla" makes its way along the River Thames in London PA Nigel Farage joins 'Fishing for Leave' flotilla campaigning for Brexit Boats from the 'Fishing for Leave' campaign group join a flotilla along the Thames River Getty Images Nigel Farage joins 'Fishing for Leave' flotilla campaigning for Brexit Supporters of the EU Remain camp attach banners to Tower Bridge as they await a flotilla of fishing boats campaiging for Brexit to pass under the bridge AFP/Getty Images Nigel Farage joins 'Fishing for Leave' flotilla campaigning for Brexit A Fishing for Leave pro-Brexit "flotilla" alongside HMS Belfast (left) as it makes its way along the River Thames PA Nigel Farage joins 'Fishing for Leave' flotilla campaigning for Brexit Bob Geldof (centre) on board a boat taking part in a pro-EU counter demonstration PA Nigel Farage joins 'Fishing for Leave' flotilla campaigning for Brexit A flotilla of fishing vessels campaigning to leave the European Union REUTERS Nigel Farage joins 'Fishing for Leave' flotilla campaigning for Brexit A boat from the 'Fishing for Leave' campaign group and smaller boats from the 'In' campaign join a flotilla along the Thames River Getty Images Nigel Farage joins 'Fishing for Leave' flotilla campaigning for Brexit A fishing boat campaiging for Brexit passes by the Tower of London AFP/Getty Images Nigel Farage joins 'Fishing for Leave' flotilla campaigning for Brexit A boat decked out in flags and banners from the 'Fishing for Leave' campaign group Getty Images Nigel Farage joins 'Fishing for Leave' flotilla campaigning for Brexit Fishing boats campaiging for Brexit pass under Tower Bridge AFP/Getty Images

The protest and counter-protest clashed as Mr Farage's larger flotilla passed by Parliament - though there were no reports of actual violence beyond rumours a Remain craft was targeted with water from a fishing boat's hose.

Fishing was the issue at the heart of Wednesday's bizarre "battle", with Mr Farage telling the Press Association EU membership had "destroyed our industry".

Speaking eight days before the referendum, he said: "The governing principle of the common fisheries policy is that of 'equal access to a common resource'.

"Fish stock that should be within the UK's internationally-recognised territorial waters is now shared with our European partners.

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"This has led to a 60 per cent drop in oversized landings and the loss of tens of thousands of jobs in our industry."

Jobs were also being lost in the charter angling fleet due to new EU regulations on recreational sea angling, said the Ukip leader, who said that Norway, outside theEU, was able to control stocks up to 200 miles off its shores and had a "booming" commercial fishing and angling industry.