They say poaching gangs have taken 60 tonnes of oysters from their farms along the southern Brittany shoreline during low tides since Monday.

Breton oysters are worth about £1,000 a tonne on the black market, but their value will rise in the run-up to Christmas and the new year. The farmers say that an illegal oyster trade is flourishing in France, with stolen oysters being sold to restaurants and brasseries.

The South Brittany Regional Shell Federation employed a private security firm this year to protect the oyster farms, but the guards say that they are unable to combat the poachers, who strike during low tides when the oyster beds are accessible.

One guard told RTL radio: “This is a growing phenomenon. Organised gangs in diving gear go and get the oysters from their beds, and when I try to stop one of them, I am threatened by the others. I am overwhelmed.”

Under local bylaws, private individuals are allowed to gather up to 8kg (17.6lb) of oysters from the sea for their own consumption. But they must work by hand and not intrude into the oyster farms.

About 40,000 tonnes of oysters are produced in Brittany every year. The French consume almost two billion annually, particularly over the Christmas period.

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