Normandy mayor passes decree for rain to stop

A Normandy mayor has taken an unusual step to deal with the recent bad weather - he has issued a municipal decree ordering the heavy rain to stop. 

Storms have been sweeping through northern and western France this week, with two-thirds of the country facing weather warnings on Tuesday, July 9. 

Read more: Storms sweep through France, bringing hail to north and west

Daniel Marrière, the mayor of Coulonces, a village of around 200 people in Orne in the northern region, said he wanted to give locals “a bit of a smile” after the recent downpours, BFMTV reports. 

“It is stipulated that the rain on July 15 and the months of August, September and into October, the rain should stop and be replaced by a light breeze and bright sunshine,” says the decree, which Mr Marrière signed on Tuesday, July 9. 

 It even calls on a little bit of help from “him upstairs” to ensure the town’s weather prospects improve. 

Mr Marrière told AFP he had “never experienced weather like it” at this time of year before.