End to eight-year battle over 'noisy frog' pond

A French couple have been ordered to fill in a pond on their land - bringing the final curtain down on an eight-year legal battle.

As reported, Dordogne couple Michel and Annie Pecheras were ordered to drain a large natural pond on their land in Grignols, south-west of Périgueux, because the frogs that made their home there were 'too noisy'.

The ambibious inhabitants were judged unacceptably loud, after neighbours complained that they could 'no longer stand' the constant noise.

Failure to comply with the court order meant the couple risked fines of €150 per day, despite the fact it was home to a protected species of frog and complying with the court order meant they risked two years in prison and a €150,000 fine.

The Cour de Cassation's ruling in December 2017 upheld a decision by the Cour d'Appel in June the previous year, which itself followed a lengthy legal process.

But, with the support of the environmental group SEPANSO, the couple launched a new bid to protect the body of water, arguing that if they evacuated the frogs there would be no need to fill in the 100-plus-year-old pond, which they were determined to save.

But the Cour d'Appel de Bordeaux ruled this week that the pond should be filled in, even after the frogs had been removed to an alternative location. Both SEPANSO and the Pécheras' have decided they will not appeal the latest decision.