Village cleared after munition find

PARIS, France -- Hundreds of French villagers are being evacuated to allow army experts to make safe hundreds of World War I shells.

Chatelet-sur-Retourne in the northern Ardennes region will become a ghost town for nine days as its 566 residents move to nearby hotels and guest houses.

The evacuation is due to be completed by Monday night, after when mine clearers will set up a security zone of 800 metres (875 yards) around a dump containing 170 tonnes of unexploded German artillery shells found on the planned site of a new housing estate.

The authorities say the shells do not contain toxic chemicals

The operation has been planned for weeks, unlike an emergency in the northern town of Vimy in April when 13,500 residents were evacuated at short notice amid fears that a stockpile of toxic World War I munitions -- including shells of mustard gas -- might explode.

"Morale is good. All the residents understand and accept the need to leave. They are also reassured because two squadrons of gendarmes will surround Chatelet day and night," said Bernard Tailliar, mayor of Chatelet-sur-Retourne.

Authorities expect rail travel between Paris and Charleville-Mezieres to be severely disrupted with trains only allowed to pass during one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening.

In Vimy about 55 tons of the most dangerous munitions were transferred to a military base in Chalons-en-Champagne where they were stored in concrete underground bunkers.

The shells from Chatelet-sur-Retourne are expected to be moved to the same base.

Unexploded shells dating from World War I are still regularly dug up in parts of France. In 1998 two people were killed in Vimy after one of the shells exploded.

The latest operation is estimated to cost four million francs ($515,500).