Vincent Jeanbrun, who runs the Paris suburb of L'Hay-les-Roses, claimed it was an "assassination attempt" and authorities said they were treating the incident as attempted murder.

Mr Jeanbrun, who was not at home at the time, said his property was "ram-raided" and set alight while his wife and two children, aged five and seven, were asleep. She and one of the youngsters were injured as they fled the building through the back garden.

The mayor, who had been at the town hall, claimed the perpetrators started a fire "to torch my house".

Prosecutors said the vehicle was stopped apparently by a low wall before reaching the veranda of the house.

The town hall was targeted over several nights since the shooting of a 17-year-old boy and has been protected with barbed wire and barricades. But such a personal attack on a mayor's home is unusual.

In a statement, Mr Jeanbrun wrote: "A milestone was reached in horror and ignominy. My home was attacked and my family was the victim of an assassination attempt. My determination to protect and serve the Republic is greater than ever. I will not back down."

Meanwhile, officers in Marseille fired tear gas at protesters as the escalating crisis in France continued.

Sky News footage showed crowds dispersing in the moments after the substance was deployed by officers.

Police in Paris cleared protesters from the Place de la Concorde and increased security at the city's landmark Champs Elysees avenue after a call on social media to gather there.

Officers later said they arrested 37 people in the French capital after officers confiscated weapons in the area.

Some 2,400 people have been arrested after five nights of violent protests throughout the country following the death of 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk, who was shot by police during a traffic stop in a Paris suburb on Tuesday.

People have taken to the streets over consecutive nights to protest, setting cars alight, throwing stones and fireworks, and ransacking shops.

A funeral for the teenager was held in Nanterre on Saturday afternoon, with family and friends viewing an open coffin before it was taken to a mosque for a ceremony and later burial.

Dozens of people were seen outside the entrance to the cemetery paying their respects.

Nahel's killing ignited long-simmering tensions between police and young people in housing projects who struggle with poverty, unemployment and racial discrimination.

It has resulted in the worst riots France has seen in years and put pressure on Mr Macron, who has blamed social media for fuelling the violence.

Street clashes continue to rage

Early on Saturday firefighters in Nanterre, on the outskirts of Paris, extinguished blazes set by protesters that left the scorched remains of cars strewn across the streets, while in the neighbouring suburb of Colombes protesters overturned bins to use them as makeshift barricades.

On Friday evening looters broke into a gun shop and stole weapons in the Mediterranean port city of Marseille, police said.

Despite Mr Macron's appeal to parents to keep their children at home, street clashes between young protesters and police raged on, with authorities saying around 2,500 fires have been set and stores were ransacked.

Read more:
Witness says police threatened teen before fatal shooting
Macron faces backlash over attending Elton John gig during riots
Why is there a history of rioting in France's suburbs?

As the number of arrests increased the government suggested the violence was beginning to subside due to tougher security measures.

However, the damage has been widespread from Paris to Marseille and Lyon, and even further away in the French overseas territories, where a 54-year-old died after being hit by a stray bullet in French Guiana.