-
Britons are the largest foreign community of second-home owners in Nouvelle Aquitaine
See which other departments in the region are popular with British nationals
-
Travellers risk extra costs under new Eurotunnel ticket rule
Some fare options are less flexible and less forgiving of lateness
-
May will be difficult month for train travel in France, warns minister
Two major train unions are threatening to strike and are ‘not willing to negotiate’, he says
Court rules on radar 'finger' case
Prosecutors had called for driver who made gesture to face prison term

It is not possible to offend a machine, a court has ruled after prosecutors recommended a motorist who gave two speed cameras ‘the finger’ face a prison term of up to four months.
As reported in March, prosecutors in Roanne, Loire, had recommended the jail term for ‘insulting behaviour to a public servant’ as camera centre staff in Rennes must by law view the photos to determine if speeding charges could be laid.
The 46-year-old driver, from Regny, Loire, had admitted speeding and giving a ‘doigt d’honneur’ to two automatic speed cameras at Saint-Forgeux-Lespinasse, Loire, and then Bessay-sur-Allier, Allier in May 2015.
Handing down its ruling this month, the court agreed with the defendant's lawyer, who had argued that "contempt of a machine does not exist in law".
But the defendant did not get away scot-free. He was fined €800, of which €600 was suspended, for trying to obscure his number plate, and also sentenced to several months in prison for a drink-driving offence committed in 2017.
Stay informed:
Sign up to our free weekly e-newsletter
Subscribe to access all our online articles and receive our printed monthly newspaper The Connexion at your home. News analysis, features and practical help for English-speakers in France