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French truck drivers lift blockades

PARIS, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Truck drivers abandoned road blocks mounted across France in a pay feud on Monday evening, easing fears of a repetition of three similar blockades in the 1990s which dried up petrol stations and halted food supplies.

The blockades, which began on Sunday night and peaked at almost 40 on Monday, had petered down to one by 1700 GMT, France's National Road Information Centre said in an update.

"It's all over," said a spokesman for the centre.

Union leaders denounced pressure from police or non-striking drivers for forcing them to give up the roadblocks, but vowed to continue their protest on Tuesday in another form.

Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin earlier repeated a warning that he would not stand by and allow the truckers' blockades to weaken France's already fragile economic growth.

Many transport companies told their drivers to take the day off in a bid to reduce the number of trucks on the road. The protest was also undermined by division in the union ranks, local media said.