Drivers are blocking roads across France to protest against rising fuel taxes, in a new challenge to embattled President Emmanuel Macron.

Protesters aim to target tollbooths, roundabouts and the bypass that rings Paris, while the government is preparing to send police to remove protesters and threatening fines.

The taxes are part of Mr Macron’s strategy of weaning France off fossil fuels.

Demonstrators block a motorway exit in Marseille
Demonstrators block a motorway exit in Marseille (Claude Paris/AP)

Many drivers see them as emblematic of a presidency disconnected from day-to-day economic difficulties.

The protesters have dubbed themselves the “yellow jackets” because they wear fluorescent vests that all French drivers must keep in their vehicles in case of car troubles.

Separately, ambulances briefly blocked Paris’s Champs-Elysees on Friday to protest against new rules on ambulance financing and put pressure on Mr Macron’s government.