Riot police have pushed back voters at some polling stations in Catalonia as an illegal independence referendum got under way in the Spanish region, Sky News reported on Sunday.

Officers in helmets faced off against chanting crowds and there were scuffles in Girona, with some people waving their ballot papers in the air.

Police in the northeastern city used a hammer to smash their way into one polling station.

Catalan officials have now said voters can go to any polling station, not just their designated one, in an attempt to ensure people can vote even if their local station is shut down.

On the orders of the central government in Madrid, thousands of national police have been drafted in to shut down the polling stations.

Source: MENA