Kris Meeke was furious after his Mini hit one of the poles positioned on the inside of the corners on the Rally de France stages.

Meeke's Mini was running in fourth place when the steel pole came through the front of the vehicle and stopped just a few inches away from striking the radiator.

Describing the development as "totally ridiculous," Meeke said that around half of the steel poles had already gone and many more had got bent. He suggested that straw bales could be placed instead of poles.

Speaking on the topic, he said, "What's wrong with putting some straw bales on the line instead of these things?"

Meeke was not the only victims of the pole hitting. Skoda driver Juho Hanninen, who was going into the third stage, hit a pole that caused a puncture in the front-right.

Mikko Markkula, Hanninen's co-driver, said the pole could have gone straight into the car, making the situation even worse.

Mikko Hirvonen, a Ford driver, suspected that spectators might have been interfering with the poles.