THE graves of hundreds of First World War soldiers from the region could be dug up and moved to make way for a multi-billion pound airport.
The French government wants to build an inter-Continental airport on a ten-and-a-half thousand hectare site, near Chaulnes, 80 miles north of Paris, at the expense of thousands of war graves.
Plans for the £3.5bn airport have met stiff opposition from British, German and French MEPs, including North-East MEP Martin Callanan, who is spearheading a campaign on behalf of the region.
The cemeteries include the graves of soldiers from Britain, France, Germany and the Commonwealth, many of them belonging to those who died fighting in the Battle of the Somme.
Although the French have yet to decide a definite site, the current one under discussion would put at least seven cemeteries under threat.
Mr Callanan said it was highly likely some of the cemeteries under threat included the graves of North-East soldiers.
He said: "This plan is an insult to those brave men who fought to keep Europe free, some of whom might have been from our region."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article