A number of injuries have been reported.
There have been chaotic scenes in the region of Catalonia on Sunday morning as Spanish police attempt to stop an independence referendum declared illegal by the government.
Officials have revealed that at least 38 people have been injured in violent clashes outside polling stations.
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Police officers are reportedly preventing people from voting, seizing ballot papers and boxes at polling stations.
Rubber bullets have been fired in Barcelona, the region's capital.
A spokesman for the Catalan government, Jordi Turull, told reporters that 73 per cent of polling stations were open as of 11am, and appealed for calm and patience.
The president of the Catalan government, Carles Puigdemont,
said violence would not stop Catalan voters.
Credit: Storyful
