Fishermen fear Theresa May could waive the rights to almost 95 per cent of British waters after failing to make any solid promises over sovereignty of the seas in the Tory manifesto.

A desire to take back control of Britain’s waters was a constant theme for Leave campaigners ahead of last year's EU referendum.

They believe Britain has legal rights to all fish within 200 miles of the coast, but the manifesto leaves open the possibility that only 12 miles of water will be protected after Brexit.

A report published last October found that more than half the fish caught in British waters are currently landed by trawlers from the rest of the EU.

The Conservative party’s manifesto states the UK “will be fully responsible for the access and management of the waters where we have historically exercised sovereign control”.

