French PM ups security at train station

France plans to step up security at the capital's Gare du Nord station, the scene of repeated scuffles between rival gangs in recent weeks, Prime Minister Francois Fillon said yesterday.

The brawls at the station that links Paris to other continental European cities and Britain have led to waves of arrests.

Visiting the station with his Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie, Mr Fillon said security cameras would be installed.

"A station is a place to catch trains, not to be hit on the head with a baseball bat. The people... who are transforming this part of town into a battle field must know that we will be extremely severe," he told reporters.