Gilets jaunes activists have reportedly destroyed over half of France’s speed cameras in protest against speed limits introduced last year.

Up to 65 per cent of the cameras have been smashed, set ablaze, blown up, painted or covered with the yellow jackets that give the movement its name, The Times reports.

The attacks began when president Emmanuel Macron’s government cut the speed limit on country roads from 90kmph to 80kmph in July.

Attacks on the roadside cameras increased along with the rise of the gilets jaunes protest movement.

In December, 250 of France’s 3,275 speed cameras had been damaged beyond repair and 1,500 had been vandalised to the extent they no longer worked, The Local reported.

It could cost tens of millions of euros to repair the cameras and the state will lose money from the speeding fines it was forecast to make.

Around a dozen vandals have been identified by police.

Vandalising speed cameras is a crime in France and culprits could be fined up to £90,000 (€100,000) or face up to seven years in prison.

Yellow vest protests continue in France Show all 20 1 /20 Yellow vest protests continue in France Yellow vest protests continue in France Protesters wearing a yellow vest (gilet jaune) stand next to a burning barricade as they demonstrate against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes at the A9 highway toll of Le Boulou, southern France AFP/Getty Yellow vest protests continue in France The "Yellow Vests" (Gilets Jaunes) movement in France originally started as a protest about planned fuel hikes but has morphed into a mass protest against President's policies and top-down style of governing AFP/Getty Yellow vest protests continue in France Yellow vest protestors hold a banner in front of the Noailles police station in Marseille, on December 22, 2018, as demonstrations are planned in several regions of France. - The "Yellow Vests" (Gilets Jaunes) movement in France originally started as a protest about planned fuel hikes but has morphed into a mass protest against President's policies and top-down style of governing. (Photo by GERARD JULIEN / AFP)GERARD JULIEN/AFP/Getty Images GERARD JULIEN AFP/Getty Yellow vest protests continue in France Protestors wearing a yellow vest (gilet jaune) wave flares, French and Italian flags as they demonstrate on December 22, 2018, in Ventimiglia near the French-Italian border, as demonstrations are planned in several regions of France. - The "Yellow Vests" (Gilets Jaunes) movement in France originally started as a protest about planned fuel hikes but has morphed into a mass protest against President's policies and top-down style of governing. (Photo by Valery HACHE / AFP)VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images VALERY HACHE AFP/Getty Yellow vest protests continue in France Protestors wearing a yellow vest (gilet jaune) demonstrate against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes at the A9 highway toll of Le Boulou, southern France on December 22, 2018. - The "Yellow Vests" (Gilets Jaunes) movement in France originally started as a protest about planned fuel hikes but has morphed into a mass protest against President's policies and top-down style of governing. (Photo by RAYMOND ROIG / AFP)RAYMOND ROIG/AFP/Getty Images RAYMOND ROIG AFP/Getty Yellow vest protests continue in France Protestors wearing a yellow vest (gilet jaune) face French riot police as they demonstrate against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes at the A9 highway toll of Le Boulou, southern France on December 22, 2018. - The "Yellow Vests" (Gilets Jaunes) movement in France originally started as a protest about planned fuel hikes but has morphed into a mass protest against President's policies and top-down style of governing. (Photo by RAYMOND ROIG / AFP)RAYMOND ROIG/AFP/Getty Images RAYMOND ROIG AFP/Getty Yellow vest protests continue in France Yellow vest protestors go down the Montmartre Hill in Paris, on December 22, 2018, as demonstrations are announced in several regions of France. - The "Yellow Vests" (Gilets Jaunes) movement in France originally started as a protest about planned fuel hikes but has morphed into a mass protest against President's policies and top-down style of governing. (Photo by Sameer Al-Doumy / AFP)SAMEER AL-DOUMY/AFP/Getty Images SAMEER AL-DOUMY AFP/Getty Yellow vest protests continue in France Yellow vest protestors walk in the 9th district of Paris, on December 22, 2018, as demonstrations are planned in several regions of France. - The "Yellow Vests" (Gilets Jaunes) movement in France originally started as a protest about planned fuel hikes but has morphed into a mass protest against President's policies and top-down style of governing. (Photo by Sameer Al-Doumy / AFP)SAMEER AL-DOUMY/AFP/Getty Images SAMEER AL-DOUMY AFP/Getty Yellow vest protests continue in France French activist Jean-Baptiste Redde, aka Voltuan, (C) holds a sign reading "The king Macron gives crumbs to the derelicts" as he takes part in a "Yellow Vests" (Gilets Jaunes) demonstration against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes at the A9 highway toll of Le Boulou, southern France, on December 22, 2018. - The "Yellow Vests" (Gilets Jaunes) movement in France originally started as a protest about planned fuel hikes but has morphed into a mass protest against President's policies and top-down style of governing. (Photo by RAYMOND ROIG / AFP)RAYMOND ROIG/AFP/Getty Images RAYMOND ROIG AFP/Getty Yellow vest protests continue in France Yellow Vest protestors walk in the streets of Paris, on December 22, 2018, as demonstrations are planned in several regions of France. - The "Yellow Vests" (Gilets Jaunes) movement in France originally started as a protest about planned fuel hikes but has morphed into a mass protest against President's policies and top-down style of governing. (Photo by Sameer Al-Doumy / AFP)SAMEER AL-DOUMY/AFP/Getty Images SAMEER AL-DOUMY AFP/Getty Yellow vest protests continue in France Demonstrators block the highway near the French border with Spain, during a protest in Biriatou, southwestern France, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2018. The yellow vest protests, which have brought chaos to Paris over the past few weeks, clearly abated Saturday as the Christmas holiday season began in earnest. Outside Paris, around 200 roundabouts remained occupied across the country. In southern France near the Spanish border, dozens of demonstrators blocked trucks and chanted "Macron, Demission," which translates as "Macron, resign."(AP Photo/Bob Edme) Bob Edme AP Yellow vest protests continue in France Demonstrators block the highway near the French border with Spain, during a protest in Biriatou, southwestern France, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2018. The yellow vest protests, which have brought chaos to Paris over the past few weeks, clearly abated Saturday as the Christmas holiday season began in earnest. Outside Paris, around 200 roundabouts remained occupied across the country. In southern France near the Spanish border, dozens of demonstrators blocked trucks and chanted "Macron, Demission," which translates as "Macron, resign."(AP Photo/Bob Edme) Bob Edme AP Yellow vest protests continue in France Protestors wearing a yellow vest (gilet jaune) wave flares as they demonstrate on December 22, 2018, in Ventimiglia near the French-Italian border, as demonstrations are planned in several regions of France. - The "Yellow Vests" (Gilets Jaunes) movement in France originally started as a protest about planned fuel hikes but has morphed into a mass protest against President's policies and top-down style of governing. (Photo by Valery HACHE / AFP)VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images VALERY HACHE AFP/Getty Yellow vest protests continue in France A Yellow Vest protestor holds a French flag near the Paris Opera, in Paris, on December 22, 2018, as demonstrations are planned in several regions of France. - The "Yellow Vests" (Gilets Jaunes) movement in France originally started as a protest about planned fuel hikes but has morphed into a mass protest against President's policies and top-down style of governing. (Photo by FRANCOIS GUILLOT / AFP)FRANCOIS GUILLOT/AFP/Getty Images FRANCOIS GUILLOT AFP/Getty Yellow vest protests continue in France A Yellow Vest protestor sits on the statue of Jeanne D'Arc, at the Pyramides place in Paris, on December 22, 2018, as demonstrations are planned in several regions of France. - The "Yellow Vests" (Gilets Jaunes) movement in France originally started as a protest about planned fuel hikes but has morphed into a mass protest against President's policies and top-down style of governing. (Photo by Sameer Al-Doumy / AFP)SAMEER AL-DOUMY/AFP/Getty Images SAMEER AL-DOUMY AFP/Getty Yellow vest protests continue in France Yellow Vest protestors stand with banners near the Louvre in Paris, on December 22, 2018, as demonstrations are planned in several regions of France. - The "Yellow Vests" (Gilets Jaunes) movement in France originally started as a protest about planned fuel hikes but has morphed into a mass protest against President's policies and top-down style of governing. (Photo by Sameer Al-Doumy / AFP)SAMEER AL-DOUMY/AFP/Getty Images SAMEER AL-DOUMY AFP/Getty Yellow vest protests continue in France Protester wearing yellow vest scuffles with a policeman during a demonstration by the "yellow vests" movement in central Paris, France, December 22, 2018. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann CHRISTIAN HARTMANN Reuters Yellow vest protests continue in France A woman dressed as a "Marianne", a national symbol of the French Republic, and yellow vest protestors walk near the Arc de Triomphe (Arch of Triumph) on the Champs Elysees avenue on December 22, 2018, as demonstrations are announced in several regions of France. - The "Yellow Vests" (Gilets Jaunes) movement in France originally started as a protest about planned fuel hikes but has morphed into a mass protest against President's policies and top-down style of governing. (Photo by Zakaria ABDELKAFI / AFP)ZAKARIA ABDELKAFI/AFP/Getty Images ZAKARIA ABDELKAFI AFP/Getty Yellow vest protests continue in France A Yellow Vest protestor faces anti-riot policemen in Paris, on December 22, 2018, as demonstrations are planned in several regions of France. - The "Yellow Vests" (Gilets Jaunes) movement in France originally started as a protest about planned fuel hikes but has morphed into a mass protest against President's policies and top-down style of governing. (Photo by Sameer Al-Doumy / AFP)SAMEER AL-DOUMY/AFP/Getty Images SAMEER AL-DOUMY AFP/Getty Yellow vest protests continue in France epa07244739 Protesters gather during a 'Yellow Vest' walk in the streets next to the Opera in Paris, France, 22 December 2018. The so-called 'gilets jaunes' (yellow vests) is a protest movement, which reportedly has no political affiliation, that continues protests across the nation over high fuel prices. EPA/ETIENNE LAURENT ETIENNE LAURENT EPA

It comes as gilets jaunes protesters urged citizens to empty their bank accounts and spark a massive run on French banks.

Activists are issuing calls on social media for massive cash withdrawals from banks ahead of a ninth weekend in a row of planned protesters in Paris and across the country.

Protesters hope the move will force the government to listen to their demands, notably their call for more direct democracy through the implementation of popular votes to allow citizens to propose new laws.

Around 80,000 police will be mobilised next Saturday, French prime minister Edouard Philippe announced, after violent clashes hit Paris for the eighth weekend running last week.