Furious locals armed with shovel attack wildlife activists as they dismantle bird traps

Images showed men armed with farming implements fending off members of the French Bird Protection League

One man was seen, apparently dressed in just his pants and a T-shirt, waving a shovel (Getty)

Wildlife activists were waylaid by local residents who allegedly beat them with a shovel after they attempted to dismantle finch traps in a village in south-western France.

Members of the French Bird Protection League (LPO) were showing journalists a number of finch traps, known as matoles, that had been set in farmland near Audon, in the French department of Landes.

As the activists attempted to dismantle the traps a group of men approached them, shouting abuse and waving farming implements.

Images posted by the LPO on Twitter showed one man, who appears to be dressed in just his pants and a T-shirt, waving a shovel.

Another man was seen waving a hoe.

Allain Bougrain-Dubourg, the LPO president, was among the activists who were attacked.

French newspaper Liberation quoted Mr Bougrain-Dubourg, as saying: "When we started to dismantle the traps a group of people came out and we were hit three or four times with a shovel."

Allain Bougrain-Dubourg, left, was among the activists who was waylayed at the scene (Getty)

The incident reportedly lasted about 15 minutes before police were called to the scene.

There is a long-standing tradition of using matole traps to catch birds in Landes.

The finch has been a protected species in France since 1976 and each year the LPO launches a campaign to clamp down on hunting the birds.