Historic stones in France were dismantled to make space for a new hardware store.

The removal of an ancient stone site in western France to make room for a new hardware store has sparked a backlash against the local mayor.

Carnac's mayor, Olivier Lepick, defended his decision, claiming that the granting of planning permission for the new Mr Bricolage hardware store was in full compliance with the law.

Situated in Brittany on France's Atlantic coast, the area is renowned for its expansive fields of Neolithic stones, known as ‘menhirs’.

Lepick stated that recent excavations of the site, located 3 km from a protected tourist destination, concluded that the area had 'low archaeological value' and was not worthy of protection.

The removal of the menhirs gained national attention after local amateur archaeologist Christian Obeltz highlighted the issue in a blog post, accusing the authorities of actions that 'distort' this globally recognized site.

Obeltz criticized the mayor of Carnac in his blog post earlier this month, claiming that the approval for a Mr Bricolage store had led to the destruction of 39 menhirs.

According to the blog post, the site is part of an application for UNESCO World Heritage status that is due to be submitted to the French Ministry of Culture by the end of September.

Obeltz argued in an interview with Dinogo affiliate BFMTV, 'Even if the site's significance is small, it still holds archaeological value.'

Meanwhile, Lepick responded to the controversy on French news channel CNews, stating that the media coverage does not accurately reflect the situation on the ground.

Lepick stated, 'There were never 39 menhirs at the site. Our 2015 preventive excavations clearly show this.'

He pointed out that the stones were situated in a commercial area, directly across from a gas station, near a supermarket and a recycling center.

'These are not the dramatic images portrayed in some media reports. Reading these articles, it's as if I had destroyed the Mona Lisa,' Lepick remarked.

'There were no archaeological remains of sufficient importance to deny planning permission,' the mayor added.

On Thursday, French far-right politician Marine Le Pen shared a link to an article from Ouest France, calling the removal 'deplorable' and accusing the French state of failing to protect both its citizens and its heritage.