U.K. apologizes to Spain for buoy colors

LONDON, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Britain says it is sorry the Royal Navy used a buoy painted the colors of the Spanish flag for target practice.

Giles Paxman, the British ambassador to Spain, offered an official apology at the Spanish Foreign Ministry in Madrid for the red-and-yellow marker on the buoy used by the navy, the BBC reported Friday.

Paxman said the colors of the buoy used during Tuesday's round of target practice off the coast of the British territory of Gibraltar, adjacent to Spain, were not intended to represent Spain's colors, but conceded it was insensitive.

The ambassador also vowed there would be no repeat in the future.

The BBC said the United Kingdom and Spain remain divided over the territorial rights surrounding Gibraltar.

Spain disputes the British claim that its territorial waters extend 3 nautical miles around the Rock of Gibraltar, leading to heated exchanges between Spanish police and the Royal Navy.