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Striking French farmers hijacked a convoy of British lorries and set fire to their £200,000 load of fish - which had been caught by FRENCH fisherman for the FRENCH market.

The militant farmers are protesting over cheap imports they claim are driving down prices of their own produce.

They are attacking imports at various points around the country, challenging trucks they suspect of bringing in outside goods.

(Image: SWNS)

But they blundered when they herded seven trucks from Scotland into a makeshift roadblock in Brittany on Tuesday night.

They ordered the drivers from their cabs and used forklifts to tip the fish boxes onto the road before setting fire to the cargo - a total of around 140 tonnes of fish.

The drivers tried to explain that the fish had been caught by French fishermen and they were delivering them for the French market but they were ignored.

Gordon Ramsay, 40, from Invergordon, said six to eight Frenchmen grappled with him and tried to forcefully seize his documents before ruining the fish.

(Image: SWNS) (Image: SWNS)

He said: “They didn’t understand why there were Scottish lorries.

“We tried to tell them it was French fish, from a French boat, for a French market, but all the seven loads just got emptied onto the road.

“It was quite a shocking experience as there were seven lorries in the convoy and we thought we would okay.

“We assumed it was just a friendly protest by the farmers but it turned into something completely different.

“We couldn’t really do much, there were only seven of us. A few of the drivers said they’ll just torch the lorries if need be.

“Two of the other drivers tried to get them off me. I grappled with six to eight farmers. They had a hold of me to try and get my documents. My left arm is sore, but that’s it.

“At one point I wasn’t sure if I was going to make home.

“I didn’t want to have to call home and tell them that something like that was happening while I was just trying to do my job.”

(Image: SWNS)

The farmers have been protesting this week despite the French government pledging almost £780 million in support.

They claim they are losing out as a result of cheaper foreign imports which is having an effect on their profits.

The shocking attack on the Scottish drivers saw French farmers use agricultural vehicles, bales of hay, and tyres to blockade the road, with the drivers fearing their seven vehicles would be torched.

James Cowper, assistant transport manager for J&D Cowper, which Gordon drives for, branded the stunt “insane”.

(Image: SWNS)

He said: “The men were quite forceful in getting our guy out of his truck.

“They caught him about midnight on the back roads and just emptied his entire truck onto the road.

“He tried to tell them the fish had been caught by a French trawler, but they wouldn’t listen to him. It’s insane, crazy, bizarre.

“I don’t see what the farmers hoped to gain from doing something like this.”

He said his firm were unlikely to complain to the Scottish or French governments because they were paid despite the incident.

“We just get paid to take it over for another company,” he said.