French riot police clashed with local residents in the northern suburbs of Paris on Wednesday night, marking the fourth night of unrest brought about by heightened tensions surrounding coronavirus lockdown restrictions.

Protesters in Gennevilliers, Clichy and Saint-Denis launched fireworks, threw projectiles and set vehicles alight, while videos on social media appeared to show police responding with tear gas and baton charges.

A police spokesperson said: "Police and their reinforcements have been the target of rioters, who have thrown stones and fireworks."

The unrest comes five weeks after France went into lockdown, with containment measures aimed at slowing the spread of the outbreak among the strictest in the world.

Outdoor exercise is banned during the day time and anyone leaving their home is required to fill out a government form stating the purpose of their excursion. These measures will remain in place until at least 11 May, President Emmanuel Macron announced last week.

Around half a million fines have been handed out to people breaking these rules, with a large proportion of them coming from poorer regions surrounding the French capital.

Residents complained about being unfairly targeted after the Seine-Saint-Denis department northeast of Paris received 10 per cent of all fines nationwide on the first day of lockdown, despite accounting for only only 2 per cent of the country's population.

Amid these rising tensions, the protests were sparked by a collision between a 30-year-old motorcyclist and an unmarked police car in Villeneuve-la-Garenne on Saturday.

Local mayor Patrice Leclerc said the disruption "poses fundamental problems and threatens the relations and trust between residents and the police".

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There have been more than 150,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in France, according to official figures from health authorities, however the actual number is estimated to be much higher.