Guardia Civil officers reportedly pelted with missiles and verbally abused by people waiting in long queues to leave the Rock

This article is more than 7 years old

This article is more than 7 years old

Police in Gibraltar are investigating claims that Spanish Guardia Civil officers have been pelted with missiles and verbally abused by people waiting in long queues at the border to return to their homes in Spain.

The Royal Gibraltar police said it had received unofficial reports from the Guardia Civil that its officers had been attacked while carrying out stringent border checks on Wednesday afternoon.

As many as 8,000 Spaniards work in Gibraltar but live in Spain, mainly in the nearby towns of La Línea and Algeciras. They have been caught up in regular long queues caused by checks imposed as part of a diplomatic spat with Britain.

An RGP spokesman said the alleged attacks took place as people waited up to four hours to leave Gibraltar. "The alleged missile throwing is reported to have come from the area of the motorcycle lane, which at the time was full of cross-border workers unable to return home," he said.

"It came after insults and abusive comments were directed at the Guardia Civil. The RGP is, notwithstanding the number of RGP officers present at the frontier managing the traffic, unable to substantiate the complaint at this time."

Fabian Picardo, the chief minister of Gibraltar, met the foreign secretary, William Hague, in London on Wednesday to discuss the border dispute with Spain. He is due to meet David Cameron on Friday.

The traffic checks, which have led to long delays on both sides of the border, were introduced by the Spanish government in protest at an artificial reef sunk sunk by Gibraltar.

Madrid says the 74 concrete blocks on the seabed disrupt the activities of Spanish fishermen, while the Gibraltarians say it was a necessary environmental measure.

The row, which started at the beginning of this month, has gone all the way to the European commission and continues to simmer.

The Gibraltar government has accused Spain of introducing an export ban on construction materials destined for the enclave, and threatened legal action and an official complaint to the commission if the "illegal and anti-European" restrictions are not lifted.

Last Friday, a group of divers from a Guardia Civil unit entered Gibraltarian waters and inspected the concrete reef. Pictures posted online showed them unfurling a Spanish flag on the seabed.

The move was criticised by the Gibraltar government, which said the "serious incursion" would not help to reduce the present tensions.

A regional politician also sparked anger by posting a photomontage online showing Spanish jets flying over Gibraltar, troops marching in the foreground and the Spanish flag flying over the Rock.

Last week more than 40 Spanish boats staged a protest over the reef before being removed from Gibraltarian waters by police and Royal Navy patrol boats.