PLANS are in place to twin a village in either Dumbarton, the Vale or Clydebank with a town in the south of France.

The tiny town Beauvoisin, which has a population of just 3,300, has contacted Provost Denis Agnew seeking a twinning link with a community in West Dunbartonshire.

And top of the list for the link are Milton, Balloch, Bowling and Gartocharn.

But competition may come from Faifley, Whitecrook and Duntocher.

In addition, Provost Agnew has revealed that West Dunbartonshire Council (WDC) is considering inviting the mayor of Beauvoisin to West Dunbartonshire"s flagship event, the Scottish Pipe Band Championships in Dumbarton in May.

Links between the two area"s schools are also being considered, but will be complicated because French councils are not responsible for education.

West Dunbartonshire already has a twinning link with Argenteuil, on the outskirts of Paris, which was initially a friendship link, and the same could be done with Beauvoisin.

Councillors will ultimately have the vote on which community will be linked with Beauvoisin at a possible cost of �5,000.

However, having multiple twinning links can generate more funding from the European Parliament and Provost Agnew reckons the council should pursue these plans.