top cx logo
cx logo
Explorearrow down
search icon

Surprise fly-tipping find for mayor in northeast France

What the Grand-Est mayor saw allowed him to identify who had dumped the rubbish

Fly-tipping is a common enough occurrence in France that it often makes the newspapers - but one recent story is possibly the most surprising.

In recent years, we have reported that authorities have launched an app so the public can report instances of fly-tipping; we have also covered the story of the mayor who returned 10 tonnes of fly-tipped waste to its owner; the return of Christmas refuse, to the dismay of the person who dumped it; and the department drones taking to the skies to combat the problem.

There are plenty of other stories, too.

But the one about the mayor in Meurthe-et-Moselle takes some beating. About 15 120-litre rubbish bags were abandoned near a former military hospital at Lunéville, L'Est Républicain reports.

Before alerting local law enforcement, the commune's mayor took a look inside one of the bags - and discovered a wedding ring, necklaces, earrings, and even a quantity of money. The mayor also found documents identifying the owner - a recently deceased nearby resident.

It turned out that the deceased heirs had cleared the property, and decided to dump the bags, rather than sort through them, without realising the value of what was inside.

Their property has been returned - along with a fine notice.

Resident or second-home owner in France?
Benefit from our daily digest of headlines and how-to's to help you make the most of life in France
By joining the newsletter, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy
See more popular articles
The Connexion Help Guides
featured helpguide
Income Tax in France 2023 (for 2022 income)*
Featured Help Guide
- Primarily aimed at Britons, covers pensions, rent, ISAs, shares, savings and interest - but also contains significant general information pertinent to readers of other nationalities - Overview of online declarations + step-by-step guide to the French printed forms - Includes updates given automatically after this year's site opened
Get news, views and information from France