A manhunt is under way in France for four thieves who have stolen a large shipment of gold from an armoured truck before setting it on fire on a major motorway.

About 15 armed assailants yesterday ambushed two vans carrying millions of euro worth of jewels on a French highway in the middle of the night, forcing out their drivers and speeding off into the Burgundy countryside, say police. It was the latest in a string of big jewel heists in France.