A Pembrokeshire shellfish exporter has spoken of delays, frustration and financial loss after her first post Brexit shipment of lobster crab and shrimp was held up for days in Portsmouth en route to Spain.

Nerys Edwards' family business, Syren Shelfish Ltd, has been exporting live shellfish to the continent for three generations.

Her lorry packed with £48,000 of live shellfish from Pembrokeshire set off for the markets in Spain last Monday. However, problems on the French side meant that it was able to get onto the ferry at Portsmouth until Wednesday morning and was then delayed for a further seven hours in Caen.

"We sent the relevant paperwork health certificate, catch certificate, invoice the packing list CMR note and made labels for the boxes," said Nerys.

"My customer did exactly the same thing on the French side but it just didn't work.

"We re-sent and re-sent the paperwork, we asked what was wrong so we could sort it out but they wouldn't explain."

The lorry was eventually allowed to board the ferry on Wednesday.

"It wasn't only us," said Nerys. "One lorry arrived on the 4th and was still there on the 12th. Anybody carrying English goods couldn't get in. But when lorries are coming here [from the continent] they have no problems.

"We are not being afforded the same courtesies that's what seems terribly unfair."

Ms Edwards said that the delays were 'a massive worry' for anybody exporting.

The lorry eventually reached Spain and the catch made it to the market but not without significant loss.

"It was a little tired and they had to go through everything but it made the market," said Nerys.

She said that because the weather was cold the catch wasn't too badly affected but that if the problems are not sorted out by the warmer weather the mortality will increase and increase. As it was the delay had lessened the value of the catch by £7,000.

"It was £48,000 worth of shellfish but it wasn't that after the mortality," she said. "I don't think we made £41,000.

"On the Wednesday I thought 'this is going to be a total wipe out' as shrimps are so fragile. I was delighted to get an invoice."

Nerys said she did not want to be drawn on which side of the Brexit debate she fell on.

"Fifty percent of the country voted out and now we have to cope," she said. "But I feel we've been let down. We've not got anything we have been promised.

"We had four years and we were ready, our paperwork was ready, but they weren't ready for us."

She said that despite the delays and frustration, her company would continue exporting live shellfish to the continent.

"I'm not giving up," she said. "Our local community of fishermen rely on it."