Farmer’s mistake alters the French border
Along the border between Belgium and France, the boundary between the two countries is usually marked by a series of stone markers.
But, when local enthusiast David Lavaux was walking through the forest, he noticed one of the stone markers had moved 2.29m.
The Belgian farmer behind it was apparently annoyed by the stone being in his tractor’s path and moved it to be inside French territory instead.
The incident that could have caused international uproar has instead been met with smiles on both sides of the border.
“He made Belgium bigger and France smaller, it’s not a good idea,” Mr Lavaux, who is also the mayor of the Belgian village of Erquelinnes, told French TV channel TF1.
“I was happy, my town was bigger,” the Belgian mayor said with a laugh. “But the mayor of Bousignies-sur-Roc didn’t agree.”
Aurélie Welonek, mayor of neighbouring Bousignies-sur-Roc, said with amusement to La Voix du Nord, “We should be able to avoid a new border war”.
The farmer will be asked to return the stone to its original location by local Belgian authorities.
But if he refuses to comply, the case could end up involving the Belgian foreign ministry, which would have to summon a Franco-Belgian border commission which has been dormant since 1930.
Mr Lavaux also noted non-compliance could see the farmer facing criminal charges.
“If he shows good will, he won’t have a problem, we will settle this issue amicably,” he told Belgian news website Sudinfo.
Image Credit: David Lavaux