French maps could be re-drawn to include hundreds of British war graves, following a complaint from Oxford.

Michael Hugh-Jones, whose uncle was killed near Ypres in 1917, was outraged when he discovered new maps of northern France in Oxford's Central Library omitted hundreds of British and Commonwealth war graves although German military cemeteries were highlighted.

Now the French government's Institut Geographique National (IGN) has promised a review and will include the grave sites if they are larger then two hectares.

Wantage MP Robert Jackson took up the case, asking the French government to investigate.

Now the IGN is promising a "careful check of the Ypres region".

In a letter to Mr Jackson, Pierre Planques of the IGN, says: "Following Mr Hugh-Jones's observations we have compared our various maps. The 1:100,000 scale map includes only French military cemeteries on the official list of the Office of the Minister of State for War Veterans, and foreign military cemeteries (regardless of nationality) larger than two hectares."

Mr Planques points out that the 1:25,000 scale map includes more cemeteries, but that the IGN "encounters some problems in obtaining relevant information from foreign government departments".

He adds: "We shall make a careful check of the Ypres region to see whether cemeteries mentioned meet our criteria for inclusion."

Mr Hugh-Jones, 72, of Headley Way, Headington, Oxford, said one IGN map currently showed just eight Commonwealth cemeteries less than two per cent of the total.

He said: "Of course I am glad they are going to review it. But I doubt it will do much good if they insist the graves sites must be two hectares to be included.

"It favours countries who chose to put all their graves into a few large cemeteries, as opposed to Britain and the Commonwealth, which buried their men near to where they fell. One hectare would be a more reasonable criteria."

Peter Francis, of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, said: "We are drafting a list to make the IGN aware of all the sites that match their criteria. But it is a small number because the vast majority of ours are battlefield sites."