-
Child injured, roads closed, homes evacuated: what is known about major fire in south of France
A cigarette butt thrown from a vehicle window is thought to have started the blaze that has destroyed 2,000 hectares
-
Three people left in critical condition after bee swarm attacks Aurillac town centre
Attack took place over several minutes
-
French weekly weather forecast July 7 - 11: third heatwave of 2025 is on its way
Temperatures are set to climb 10C between Monday and Friday
French driver fined €135 as hearing aid mistaken for hands-free gadget
The man is contesting the fine saying he has been a victim of police misunderstanding and assumptions

A driver in northeast France was shocked to receive a fine of €135 for wearing an audio device while driving, despite the device actually being a medical hearing aid.
Dominique Moret, 53, from Saint-Quentin (Aisne), received the fine from a centre in Rennes, and was docked three points from his licence for the alleged offence of “driving a vehicle while wearing a sound-emitting device in the ear".
But Mr Moret has hearing difficulties and wears hearing aid devices in both ears. The device allegedly seen by police was this, and not a banned sound-emitting gadget.
The national police said that they recorded the supposed infraction on April 7, in rue du Jeu-de-Paume in Saint-Quentin, at 12:17.
But Mr Moret said that he was never “stopped by the police” and never even saw a police officer that day.
He says he will contest the fine and claims he has been a victim of police misunderstanding.
At the start of May, he wrote to the public prosecutor to challenge the fine. He also included evidence of his hearing problems and hearing aid use, including a bill for his hearing aids and a photograph of them to show how they could have been confused for a “sound-emitting device”’.
It is illegal to use hands-free headsets, earpieces or earbuds for the purposes of using a mobile phone while driving in France, including in a car or van, motorbike, or when riding a bicycle.
Related articles
€400 fines for speeding drivers in France who pass penalty on
Speeding fine in France: Do I need to swap to a French licence?