What is this .gvfs directory?

[Bradley]

I have my system do regular automated backups and just noticed that the 
backups have been failing do to a ".gvfs" directory in one of the user's 
home directories.  This folder can not be accessed or deleted until I 
drop to at least runlevel 2 but then, in the normal runlevel, when the 
user logs back on, the directory appears again with the same problems.  
There is absolutely no information about this in the help docs and am 
wondering how I can either keep the directory from coming back or to 
make it accessable?

Bradley