MADRID (AP) — Spain's Foreign Ministry has called in the British ambassador to protest what it described as reckless behavior by a Gibraltar police boat patrol toward a Spanish police vessel.

In a statement, the ministry said Monday it had lodged a serious complaint with Ambassador Simon Manley, saying Gibraltar police had approached a Spanish police vessel twice at great speed Friday and only diverted its direction and avoided a collision at the last moment.

It said the action, which occurred in waters between Gibraltar and Spain, had placed both crews at risk.

Spain ceded Gibraltar's sovereignty to Britain in a 1713 treaty, but has persistently sought its return ever since. Diplomatic friction between Britain and Gibraltar and Spain isn't totally unusual.