Water cannon and tear gas have become a familiar sight for visitors to Paris, but this weekend there are signs that France’s yellow vest movement may finally have run out of steam.

Less than 30 000 people across the country turned out for the seventeenth weekend of protests - which began over the price of diesel, but grew into a more general expression of anger towards a government seen as out of touch with the less well off.

There were isolated clashes between police and demonstrators on Saturday, but nothing compared to those seen at the height of the movement.

President Emmanuel Macron launched a series of town hall debates across the country in an attempt to diffuse the tension - it comes to an end next weekend - and the tactic appears to have paid off with opinion polls showing an eight point rise in his popularity ratings.