French gendarmes stop flying unicorn on way to beach

Every day, France's gendarmes see many surprising things on the country's roads - but even the most worldly-wise officers would have done a double-take when they saw a giant inflatable unicorn heading down the street to the beach.

The officers were on patrol in the Var resort of Cavalaire-sur-Mer last Friday, when they saw the imposing inflatable drive by on the roof of a car, according to local newspaper Var Matin.

It was so large it obscured the view out of the vehicle's rear window, while its wings made passing to either side difficult. The gendarmes stopped the car, and issued a fine to the motorist.

Once the unicorn was deflated, the driver was able to get back on the road. It was not reported whether the unicorn's owners managed to reinflate it for their day at the beach...