August 20th, 2010 | 
Author: Holidaymakers in Boulogne got a scare yesterday after a crocodile alert forced local authorities to close the area’s beaches.
The beach closures came just a matter of days after a shark alert spread panic among beach-dwellers on the French Riviera.
The alarm was raised after local newspaper La Voix du Nord received a letter from two men claiming to have seen a metre-long reptile swimming around tourist vessels near Boulogne’s port.
“We would like to inform you that we saw a young crocodile of roughly a metre in length near the small pleasure boats,” said the letter sent by a pair known simply as ‘Pierre and Laurent’.
“We’re quite certain that someone must have got rid of it when it was a baby,” the message went on.
The senders left no phone number or contact details, which has led to some speculation that the alert was a hoax. No reptiles had been reported missing by local zoos, but local authorities decided nonetheless to close the beaches as a safety precaution.
Red flags were put up and a message was broadcast in French and English to warn local residents and any Britons on a French holiday to stay away from the shoreline.
“We made several announcements over the tannoy in both French and English to warn people that there may have been a crocodile in the swimming area,” a lifeguard told reporters from La Voix du Nord.
The port area was thoroughly searched, but no signs of a crocodile were found. Red flags were subsequently taken down and beaches were finally able to re-open at around 2pm.
Related posts: