Paris, July 14 (DPA) Vandals in France set fire to 317 automobiles on the eve of Tuesday's Bastille Day celebrations, France Info radio reported Tuesday.

That represents an increase of about seven percent over last year, French police said.

In addition, 240 people were arrested during the rowdy celebrations that now inevitably accompany the annual fireworks display.

Car-burning by gangs of youths living primarily in France's run-down suburban ghettos has become a something of a custom during national celebrations such as Bastille Day and New Year's Eve.

In October and November 2005, it became a form of protest when youths burned some 9,000 vehicles after riots erupted in more than 300 communities throughout France following the deaths of two teenagers from immigrant families in a Paris suburb.