The British fishing industry could face devastation if a call for a blanket ban on cod fishing in the North Sea and Irish Sea is acted on.

According to European Commission scientists on the advisory committee for fisheries management, cod stocks have fallen to critical levels in British waters.

The EC will be presented with a report today in Brussels designed to stave off a collapse in cod stocks.

White fish such as haddock, whiting or scampi - often caught in the same net as cod - may also be included under the ban.

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