GPS tags to deter decoration thieves

LOCAL officials in Calais are tagging all of their Christmas decorations with a satellite location tracker in a bid to stop thieves.

The town has taken action after an 80-kilo Bengal tiger decoration with flashing lights costing €3,000 was stolen from a roundabout last winter.

All of the items in this year's Christmas display will carry a GPS device, with a two-month battery life, making it possible for stolen items to be tracked down.

The mairie has refused to say how much the anti-theft devices will cost. On its website, the supplier, Cube Track, typically sells its tags for at least €100 each.

Calais is believed to be the first town in France to have taken such steps to deter thieves.

Back in 2012, the mayor of a Grandchamp - a 400-person village in the Yonne - himself carried out night-time patrols to stop his decorations being stolen.