WHY THE MAIRE OF CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE HAS NO PLANS TO END THE 62-YEAR BAN ON UFOS IN THE COMMUNE. A ban on UFOs has now been in force in the French commune of Châteauneuf-du-Pape for 62

years. Indeed, no visitors from other planets have landed there, which is “no doubt due to the ban”, said Anthony Avon from the Mairie de Châteauneuf-du-Pape, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte

d’Azur region. The 1954 law, which is still valid today, forbids the ‘flight, landing and take-off of aircraft known as flying saucers or flying cigars, whatever their nationality,

throughout the commune.’ In French, _soucoupes volantes_ are also known as _cigares volants_. However, whether saucers or cigars, the ban states that if they try to land in

Châteauneuf-du-Pape in 1954, came up with the headline-grabbing notion decades before the birth of the internet. “It worked very well,” said Mr Avon. “We are still getting queries from

journalists 62 years later.” To put the ban in context, in 1954 the world was obsessed with space travel; with putting a man on the moon, and with UFOS. “There were many sightings all over

France,” said Mr Avon. “Lucien Jeune went to a wine fair in Paris and noticed everyone was talking about UFOs. He came up with the ban as a way of drawing attention back to the commune and

its vineyards.” The current mayor of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Claude Avril, has said he has no intention of taking down the ban. “I won’t be touching it,” he told France Bleu. “It’s good to

spice things up. We are creating a buzz in a harmless way. Nobody is fooled.” It is the only ban of its kind in France, Mr Avon said, and added: “It must be taken in context and with a sense

of humour.”