Holidaymakers forced to flee French forest fire

France is evacuating 10,000 people as a wildfire rips through the southern coast during the height of the tourist season.

Firefighting planes are dropping water on a new blaze on the Mediterranean coast which has left tourists stranded on the beaches, Sky News reports.

British holidaymakers were told to leave campsites in La Londe, La Lavandou and Borme-les-Mimosas, near the popular resort of St Tropez, in the early hours of this morning. Many headed down to the beach to wait for help.

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"We could see the flames just behind the campsite and we were told to evacuate right down on to the beach," Lisa Minot, travel editor of The Sun, told Sky News. "It's utter chaos, there are no provisions or anything else... There's no one telling us what to do."

Actor Dame Joan Collins also had to flee her villa in the area, says the Daily Mail.

Areas affected include the Var and Vaucluse areas, the town of Carros, north of Nice, and northern Corsica. The Guardian says many of those evacuated are locals who sheltered in gymnasiums and slept on mattresses on the floor last night.

More than 500 firefighters are tackling the blaze and France has requested EU help, says the Daily Express. More than 2,000 firefighters and 19 aeroplanes have been mobilised.