THE Foreign Office is lodging a formal complaint with Spain over the latest "unacceptable" delays at the border with Gibraltar.
The Royal Gibraltar Police said queues to enter Gibraltar yesterday had been around three hours, although there were no delays leaving.
"The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will be protesting to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the unacceptable delays seen at the Spanish border with Gibraltar," a Foreign Office spokesman said.
Officials are considering whether to mount a legal challenge to Spain over its imposition of additional border controls in the latest diplomatic spat between the two countries over the Rock.
The Spanish action followed the construction by the Gibraltar authorities of an artificial reef out of concrete, which Madrid claims is designed to ruin fishing in the area.
Downing Street has described the controls as "politically motivated and disproportionate" - putting Spain at odds with EU laws on the freedom of movement.
The European Commission plans to send a team of investigators to the Gibraltar border in the next couple of weeks to observe the new controls, following complaints from several MEPs and EU citizens about the long delays.
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