Heavy snowfall in the French Alps has left 15,000 drivers stranded, prompting officials to open emergency shelters and urge travellers to stay at home.

The snow hit as a rush of holidaymakers were heading to ski resorts in the in southeastern France.

Elsewhere in France it was wind and not snow that wrought havoc for holiday travellers.

Storms packing gusts of up to 160kilometres an hour forced the temporary closure of France's port of Calais on the English Channel and the suspension of car ferries to and from Britain.