French wine makers smash up GALLONS of cheap Spanish imports in furious protest

Red wine was poured onto the tarmac as several wine shipments were destroyed with crates of bottles completely smashed.

Litres of white wine were also wasted, with shocking images from the scene showing hundreds of crates of bottles littering the scene.

One winemaker was spotted jumping onto a truck with a sledgehammer and swinging the tool at the boxes of wine.

Others were seen opening the tap on one lorry, which released a river of red wine which soaked the road.

Another group of demonstrators piled up crates of tomatoes and tyres to make a bonfire.

Frederic Rouanet, the president of a local syndicate of winemakers who organised the protest, said the demonstration comes as part of the "economic war against economic criminals who abuse ruined winegrowers".

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He added: "We are going to take away the possibility of being able to import foreign wines."

Disgruntled grape growers were later left with police, according to French newspaper Vitisphere.

Videos online show campaigners falling over a mountain of crates carrying Freixenet wine.

The protesters then took the remains of the crates and added them to a pile of hundreds of cardboard boxes containing Spanish tomatoes, before lighting the whole lot on fire.

Following the protest, a delegation of winegrowers of different local syndicates and trade unions met to discuss the cheap Spanish imports that threaten to put French winemakers out of business.

It comes two months after French media reported in August that the government is set to pour away millions of litres of wine – and could even rip up vineyards.

The move comes as part of a bid to reverse tumbling prices amid falling sales.