France abandons plans for new airport

The French government has decided against building an airport in the west of the country, scrapping a project that has provoked years of occasionally violent protests.

France’s prime minister Edouard Philippe said protesters at the proposed site at Notre-dames-deslandes, outside Nantes, must now leave.

He said that the decision to abandon construction of the facility was down to the volatile situation in the area and divisions among the local population.

Mr Philippe said anarchist groups opposed to the new airport must leave, and vowed to “put an end to this lawless zone”.

He ordered protesters living in a makeshift settlement to clear the roads they have been blocking, or face police action.

A top regional official has lashed out at the central government for its decision to abandon the project, saying it has “trampled on democracy”.

The majority of citizens supported the airport project in a 2016 referendum.