Spain V Catalonia update LIVE: CRISIS as independence referendum rocks Spain – latest news

  • Catalan voters overwhelming backed independence in the controversial referendum on Sunday
  • Spanish government has rejected the vote because it says the referendum was illegal  
  • Hundreds were injured as a Spanish police forcibly tried to close polling stations

Here are live updates and the latest news on the ongoing crisis in Spain. (All times BST)  

10am: Protesters go on strike in Catalonia

Barcelona metro stations are closed and pickets are blocking main roads after civil servants walked out on Tuesday in response to a strike called by pro-independence groups.

The stoppages, originally billed as a region-wide general strike but disavowed by the country’s largest unions, affected the public sector, public transport and basic services.

Many services under the control of the Catalan government did see some stoppages, with public transport running at around 40 percent, according to reports, while port workers and civil servants also walked out.

Normally busy metro stations in Barcelona were deserted as services were cut back sharply, pickets blocked traffic on Gran Via street and traffic on six major highways in the region was disrupted by protests.

Elsewhere, the response to the strike call was patchy with some shops, supermarkets and cafes open and some closed. The Boqueria market in Barcelona was almost empty.

Monday: Two trade unions refuse to take part in strike 

Spain’s two largest unions refused to take part in the general strike and also called for dialogue between the central government and Catalonia, criticising both the call for independence and the heavy-handed police tactics.

“The UGT and the CCOO clearly state that we do not back this position or this political strategy. We are not calling a general strike for Oct. 3,” they said on Monday.

Pro-independence groups and trade unions in Catalonia called a general strike for Tuesday after referendum on Catalan independence from Spain which had been banned by the constitutional court.

Sunday: The Catalan independence referendum – scenes of violence 

Scenes of armoured Spanish police swinging truncheons and firing rubber bullets at peaceful voters have been widely condemned, with the European Union calling for talks to break the stalemate between Madrid and Barcelona.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said the ballot had failed, while Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont vowed to continue with the independence process after millions voted to leave.