PARIS (AFP) - Around 40 Christian tombs were desecrated in a cemetery in eastern France on Monday, with headstones uprooted or broken, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

Police discovered the damage in a cemetery in the town of Labry, the statement said. The ministry said it was the fifth time a cemetery has been desecrated in the area this year.

"These unacceptable acts require a firm response," the ministry statement said, adding that an investigation was underway to find out who was responsible.