The French government has caved in to protestors and ordered a ban on the UberPOP taxi service.

The decision follows protests by thousands of taxi drivers around the country earlier this week.

Uber was banned by a French court last October, but has still been operating while it challenges the decision.

Access to airports and train stations was blocked and cars vandalised during protests on Thursday, as taxi drivers took to the streets.

Key highways around Paris were also blocked and tyres were burned during the day-long strike.

Barriers also appeared around Marseille and Aix-en-Provence in south-east France.

UberPOP is a car-sharing service offered by Uber, which brings together customers and private drivers at prices lower than those charged by both traditional taxi firms and even other Uber services.

San Francisco-based Uber says it has a million users in France, including 250,000 for UberPOP.

Uber also operates a luxury service which is not banned.