National Front mayor creates 'Rue du Brexit' in French town

Front National mayor of Beaucaire, Julien Sanchez, announced the name change on Twitter

A little corner of France is set to pay tribute to Britain's decision to leave the EU after a town's mayor created a "Rue du Brexit".

Julien Sanchez, a member of France's far right National Front (FN), suggested the name in order "to pay homage to the choice of the British people" following the referendum.

The road will sit next to Rue Robert-Schumann and Avenue Jean-Monnet - regarded as founders of the EU.

The FN want to see France leave the EU.

The party's leader Marine Le Pen is expected to reach the second round of the presidential elections in 2017, with polls suggesting she will come second to conservative candidate Francois Fillon.

Councillors in the town of Beaucaire - which sits in one of the FN's heartlands in the south, near Marseille - voted for the name by 23 to nine.

But it has not been universally popular: there could be an attempt to block the move, seen as provocative by opponents.

However, 33-year-old Mr Sanchez says he cannot understand why.

"We did not create a Pol Pot or Klaus Barbie street. We have simply chosen to pay tribute to a sovereign people and leaders who have assumed their responsibilities," he told Le Figaro.

What impact the road name will have remains to be seen.

Indeed, despite winning praise from the Leave campaign's official Twitter account, it is unlikely to draw many curious Brexiteers in years to come as the road itself is not in the most glamorous of locations: the middle of an industrial estate.