French police said on Thursday that the situation is now "calm" after five consecutive nights of clashes and rioting near Paris.

       Officers said they had been attacked by youths carrying handguns, flares and petrol bombs during the week.

       Clashes had broken out in the low-income urban Tarterêts district of Corbeil-Essonnes, 40 kilometres south of the French capital.

       But on Wednesday, police said that "no incidents" had been reported.

       "It was the first quiet night since last Thursday," Jennifer Lattay, the divisional commissioner, said, adding however that the authorities were still cautious.

       Last week, two brothers were arrested in Tarterêts for violence against the police. Their mother was also hit by police tear gas as her son was tackled to the ground and detained.

       According to the prefecture, the police officer felt "in danger" and used "tear gas once and for a brief moment to push her away".

       The incident was filmed and widely shared on social media, prompting anger from many local residents and teenagers.

       Rioting also spread to other towns in the region, and a total of four people have been arrested. The police were notably targeted by fireworks and petanque balls, leaving two people slightly injured.

       The Corbeil-Essonnes town hall organised a meeting on Monday between mothers from the Tarterêts district and police officers in an effort to calm tensions.

       The Tarterêts district previously witnessed clashes between police and residents in June 2011, when a nine-year-old girl was seriously injured.