Chainsaw gang attacks French trees

Police say the vigilantes are endangering lives

A gang of chainsaw-wielding motorcyclists has attacked an avenue of plane trees in France.

The attack is the latest episode in a battle between militant road-users - who say the trees endanger their lives in the event of accidents - and others who say the avenues are part of the landscape of France.

Sixty-six trees were mutilated near Tarbes in the Pyrenees in the latest attack.

A motorcyclist had died after colliding with a tree at the spot a few days earlier.

The cuts were so deep the trees will have to be felled

Police have criticised the chainsaw gangs, saying the night-time attacks are themselves endangering lives, France's La Chaine Info television reported.

"These trees have been weakened because a third or a half of their circumference has been cut into, and a large gust of wind could obviously blow them down on one side or other of the road," said Gendarmerie Captain Laurent Lesaffre, who is in charge of the investigation.

One of the trees has already fallen into a neighbouring field. All the others will also have to be cut down.

In June, the gang cut into 96 plane trees on the same D934 road in protest at the death of another man who had also crashed into a tree.

The same stretch of road has been attacked before

In letters to the local media accepting responsibility for the attacks, the "Anti-Plane Trees Commando Group" accused the public authorities of not taking action.

It singled out Agriculture Minister Jean Glavany, who is also deputy chairman of the local council, for criticism.

However, at the time of the first attack, the agriculture minister refused to condemn the vandals and even called the plane trees a public danger.

His comments were condemned by environmental groups.

A debate has been taking place in France about whether some plane trees should be cut down to reduce road accidents.