People were kneeling on the sand praying and children were crying British holidaymaker

Mr Barnott from Hampstead in London told The Times newspaper of his escape to the beach from the Camp du Domaine site last night.

"The whole area was thick with smoke. We had to go to the water's edge to breathe and we put wet towels round our heads. People were kneeling on the sand praying and children were crying," he said.

The fire brigade chief at Le Lavandou has made assurances that there was no "further danger to life".

But last night two elderly residents of Borme-les-Mimosas died just yards from their home, overcome by smoke as they were trying to run from the flames.

Fire brigades and volunteers from all over the region are helping 1,000 troops and hundreds of gendarmes to control the fires with the aid of a dozen helicopters and Catalina "water bomber" aircraft.

But the hot wind known as the "mistral" is fanning the flames and making their job very difficult.

Forests devastated

The blazes have destroyed farmland, campsites, villas and more than 30 square miles (77 sq kms) of forest land that could take years to recover.

Forest fires occur every summer in this part of France - usually as a result of arson or carelessly discarded cigarette ends, or a combination of the two.

But this year has been described as one of the most savage in the region's history. Now local residents are demanding serious action from the government to tackle the problem.

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