French authorities said on Thursday that they had detained a British fishing trawler, prompting the government in London to summon France’s ambassador for talks, escalating months of rising tension between the two nations.

The confrontation was the latest in a series of cross-Channel flare-ups over post-Brexit fishing rights that have led to accusations of bad faith, threats and even a brief naval standoff in May between the two Nato allies.

Thursday’s moves will likely stoke tensions in French-British affairs that have become increasingly frayed as both nations have tried to define a new relationship after Britain’s departure last year from the EU.

French leaders were infuriated in September when the US and Britain announced a deal to develop nuclear-powered submarines for Australia, prompting Australia to cancel a French contract to build conventional submarines. The episode played into longstanding French concerns about the English-speaking nations looking out for their own interests, without regard for their allies.

But the most persistent irritant between the two neighbours has been a dispute over fishing rights that has ballooned into a diplomatic feud around how to implement a post-Brexit agreement — an issue that both French and British officials hoped they had put behind them.