Spaniards living close to the border with Gibraltar say they are fearful for their livelihoods and furious at their country’s aggressive stance towards Britain, amid growing tensions about the future of the territory after Brexit.

“I want Gibraltar to stay British. Spain’s government isn’t worthy of the name and should start by looking after its own huge problems,” says Jesús Moya, 48, from San Roque, who travels in and out of Gibraltar every day to work as a delivery man for Nestlé.

Unemployment in the area is about 35 per cent and many local businesses depend on Gibraltarians who visit to enjoy Andalucian food and hospitality.

“Our economic dependency on Gibraltar is practically total,” says Juan Franco, mayor of La Línea de la Concepción, the ramshackle town where some 10,000 workers commute to the Rock each day to work.

Mr Franco remembers the border being closed by his namesake, the Spanish dictator, in 1969 and remaining sealed for over a decade.

“That caused deep economic depression and poverty. That time is still remembered today as a trauma,” he said.