France forced to draft in police to stop burglaries from evacuated homes as Britons ordered to leave amid wildfires

France has been forced to draft in police to stop burglaries from evacuated homes amid a devastating series of wildfires.

Almost 220,000 people have now been evacuated as flames tear through the Cap Ferret peninsula and towards Bordeaux.

Sophie Brocas, the Prefect of Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Gironde, said 1,200 members of France's National Gendarmerie had been deployed to Gironde - where one of the country's largest fires is raging.

Members of the National Gendarmerie are now on patrol to prevent burglaries in evacuated homes.

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Last January, as flames raged across Los Angeles, officials revealed opportunistic thieves had seized on the destruction to steal from empty properties.

“In the midst of the emergency, we have all seen individuals who are targeting vulnerable communities by burglarising and looting homes. This is simply unacceptable," Kathryn Barger, a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, said.

Up to 60 suspected looters were arrested in the city by the end of the fires.

Back in France, tourists have been urged to avoid the Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Gironde areas entirely.

"I encourage tourists who are already here to consider another destination," she added.

Some 16 firefighters were injured in Gironde on Sunday, bringing the total number hurt to 84 - with two firefighters killed in the blaze.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez admitted on Sunday evening the situation was "not under control", with plans in place for an evacuation of Bordeaux.

Mr Nunez told France 2 TV: "The overall situation is very unfavourable... We are in a situation that is unprecedented."

On Sunday, Bordeaux Mayor Thomas Cazenave said the fire was about nine miles away from entry points to the city.

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Police also went door-to-door in the municipalities of Marcheprime and Cestas, telling residents to evacuate and warning of the incoming blaze.

Bordeaux Airport's hotel zone was also evacuated as a result of the wildfire, with its terminals closed overnight.

Mr Cazenave said earlier said on Sunday there were no immediate plans to vacate the city, whose wider metropolitan area has a population of 850,000, but plans for a total evacuation are ready.

French President Emmanuel Macron has now convened ministers for crisis talks on how to tackle the fires.

On Saturday, Mr Macron thanked emergency service workers and volunteers who had combatted the wildfires.

"We will rebuild, we will repair, and we will be there as long as it takes," he vowed.

Pope Leo also provided his support, saying: "In the face of the devastating fires that have struck several localities in France and Spain in recent days, I wish to express my solidarity and invite everyone to pray for those affected and for the work of the rescuers."

Wildfires are also raging in Spain, Italy and Scotland - with the worst of the fires in the former ripping through more than 4,300 hectares of the eastern Castellon province.

Valencia's regional leader Juanfran Perez said on Saturday the fire was "beyond our capacity to extinguish".

One civilian has been killed in Valencia as a result of a smaller wildfire.

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