A Brixham trawler involved in a collision with a chemical tanker 10 times its size has returned to port.

The 24-metre long De Vrouw Marie suffered damage to her stern and fishing gear in the incident involving the Panamanian-registered Oriental Jasmine just before midnight on Friday.

The chemical tanker was carrying 7,854 tonnes of caustic soda.

Information relating to the incident, which happened 33 miles off Start Point, Devon, has now been passed to the Marine Accident Investigation Board.

We could have had a vessel pushed over and people in the water Brixham Coastguard

A spokesman for Brixham Coastguards said they contacted the De Vrouw Marie after overhearing a conversation between the vessel and the tanker in the early hours.

The beam trawler had been fishing and showing lights when the Antwerp-bound tanker approached head on, he said.

The vessel's stern was damaged

The Coastguards said when the tanker was 200 metres away the fishing vessel steered to starboard, which was the correct procedure.

The tanker steered to port and there was a collision, in which the fishing vessel suffered a dent in the stern and damage to fishing gear.

Damage was above the water line and there are no injuries among the six trawler crew.

"It could have been a lot more serious," said Andy Huber from Brixham Coastguard.

"We could have had a vessel pushed over and people in the water," he said.