France's Interior Minister Laurent Nunez has admitted that the police "lost control" in some cities during violent protests that erupted across the country at the weekend.

Saturday's demonstrations saw some half a million people turn out across France to protest the cost of living, but morphed into some of the worst violence to rock the country in years, with town halls and shops looted and set ablaze.

Nunez acknowledged a "lack of anticipation" in the deployment of security forces on Saturday, whose numbers were insufficient to deal with the large crowds.

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has instructed prefects to impose limited curfews in cities to prevent more rioting and looting.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu did not rule out imposing a state of emergency after the interior minister said police had “lost control”.

Police arrested at least 1,800 people across France after violent groups clashed with officers and looted shops during nationwide demonstrations that drew hundreds of thousands who denounced rising living costs and poor conditions in schools.