French say 'non' to Ryanair route

The seaside town hosts an annual film festival

A new Ryanair service between Stansted Airport in Essex and the French town of Deauville may be grounded before it even takes off in March next year.

Some residents across the Channel have set up a No Budget Flights Association to block the route and stop tourists flooding in to their "chic" resort.

They claim an influx of people would cheapen the image of the town.

Ryanair said business and tourism in the area would "reap enormous benefits" from the three times a week flights.

'Symbolising elegance'

The company said it believed it had the backing of the "overwhelming majority" of people in Deauville.

"Property values in the area will shoot up as they have done at the 19 other airports in France that Ryanair connects to the UK," said a Ryanair spokesman.

But campaigners against the flights believe the image of Deauville - described on the town's website as "the most glamorous seaside resort, symbolising elegance, prestige and sophistication" - would suffer from an influx of foreign visitors.

They are also worried rising house prices would price some French people out of the market.

The service would be the first "no-frills" link between Normandy and Britain and could see 40,000 people travelling to the seaside town every year.

Deauville is also famous for its annual film festival, which celebrates US films.