Belgian farmer accidentally shifts French border by moving ancient stone

Brussels, May 6

A Belgian farmer unwittingly extended his country's territory by moving an ancient stone marking the border with France that was on his land, a group of local history enthusiasts discovered on a walk in a wooded area on the French side.

The discovery of the stone, now sitting 2.20 metres (7.2 feet) away from where it was placed in accordance with a border agreement two centuries ago, has caused a flap in a normally sleepy rural area.

"If it belongs to us, it belongs to us. We don't want to be robbed of 2 metres," a resident of the French village of Bousignies-sur-Roc told RTL Info.

On the other side, in the Belgian village of Erquelinnes, mayor David Lavaux appeared keen to avoid an international incident.

"The land was sold and I think the person who bought it changed the borders the way he wanted," he said. "But this isn't just a private border, it's a border between countries and you can't just at will move boundary markers that have been there for a long time." — Reuters