The British government says it's aware of "reports of aggression" being aimed at its boats in the English Channel, in a dispute over scallop fishing.

French fisherman reportedly clashed with the British vessels on Tuesday morning, with rocks and smoke bombs apparently thrown.

It's reported that around 35 French boats chased off five British vessels in the waters of Baie de Seine, around 20km off the coast of Normandy.

Under French rules, fishermen from the country can only fish for scallops between October and May.

However, British fishing crews are legally allowed fish for the molluscs for most of the year - which has led their French counterparts to accuse them of depleting the stocks, as well as calls for all crews to be subject to the same rules.

Although the dispute has been ongoing for more than a decade, mounting tension appears to have resulted in the clash.

BBC reports that French fishermen have been accused of throwing rocks and smoke bombs during the incident, with insults also reportedly directed at the British crews.

Footage from the French TV station France 3 Normandie showed boats apparently being rammed by other vessels.

La charge d'un navire anglais lors de l'affrontement entre pêcheurs français et britanniques !https://t.co/jCfERoMtex pic.twitter.com/WwdxJtbdn1

— France 3 Normandie (@F3bnormandie) August 28, 2018

Normandy fishing chief Dimitri Rogoff explained: "The French went to contact the British to stop them working and they clashed with each other.

"Apparently there was stone-throwing, but no injuries."

It's reported the outnumbered British vessels were eventually chased out of the French waters.

It comes amid the ongoing Brexit negotiations, with the fishing industry in the UK calling for the British government to "stand firm against the EU’s pressure to keep the status quo on access for their fleets and the current unfair quota shares".

Additional reporting by IRN