Latvians seeking free Christmas trees

RIGA - Latvian authorities have given residents something to cheer about when they invited them to cut their own Christmas trees for free - only to be chased away by forest rangers.

A Riga forestry agency says a state body had invited residents to cut their trees from forests located 50km or more outside the capital, but people had instead descended on protected areas around the city.

The authority was quoted by news agency LETA as saying that rangers in charge of forests around Riga had been struggling to keep people away to protect the few fir trees that grow around there.

"The authority's staff are being driven to despair," said a spokeswoman.

- REUTERS