Complaint after château trees pruned into penis shapes

The trees were discovered in their rather unusual position on Tuesday September 4.

The “landscape gardeners” responsible had left their excess trees cuttings in front of the château, along with some empty beer cans.

The four trees were initially installed in front of the château as part of a photography exhibition, and had previously been cut into a less unusual, oval shape.

The mayor has now lodged a formal complaint into the incident, and the trees have been removed. The perpetrators have yet to be identified.

Florent Brunet, mayor of Hauterives, said the issue did “not make him laugh”.

He said: “There are some cheeky people who should probably be at work instead, amusing themselves with mischief in our commune over the weekends. We cannot monitor the entire place with cameras.”

As well as the château, Hauterives is also home to the historic Palais Idéal du Facteur Cheval.