A series of attacks were carried out overnight on several French prisons with vehicles set alight and automatic weapons fired.

French justice minister Gerald Darmanin said: "Attempts have been made to intimidate staff in several prisons, ranging from burning vehicles to firing automatic weapons."

He continued: "I am going to Toulon to support the officers concerned. The French Republic is facing up to the problem of drug trafficking and is taking measures that will massively disrupt the criminal networks."

French media reports six establishments as being targeted: in Toulon, Aix-en-Provence and Marseille, Valence and Nîmes, Luynes, Villepinte, and Nanterre.

French prisons were targeted overnight in a series of attacks

French justice minister Gerald Darmanin