French town protests at decision NOT to build a McDonald's

Residents of Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise have protested after construction work on a branch was halted shortly before completion

Hundreds of residents of a French village have taken to the streets to protest against a decision taken by local authorities not to build a McDonalds (Facebook )

Over 100 residents of a French town took to the streets on Thursday to protest against a decision by local authorities not to finish building a McDonald's restaurant.

People from the village of Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise, near the city of Lille, reacted with anger when authorities decided to suspend the construction of a new outlet because it did not comply with zoning regulations, according to The Telegraph.

Locals in the town, which has a population of just 5,368, had been anticipating the much-needed surge in jobs the outlet would create - until a court halted work just before the restaurant was finished.

About 130 people marched through the streets in response to the news with a banner that read “MANIF!!! (Demonstration) pour McDo” Those marching included unemployed residents, union members and students from the local school.

The Facebook page ‘Oui oui au macdo st pol’ was also set up to call for building work to continue and has garnered almost 4,000 likes. On the groups page, one person wrote: “If it's the junk food that's bad we'll have to shut the kebab and chip shops in Saint-Pol”, while another commented: “'Seriously, I have a better lunch at McDonalds.”

The French have long been embroiled in a love affair with the fast food chain and consume more McDonald's than any other country in the world bar America, The Local has reported.