Hundreds of car and truck drivers are stuck in a large traffic jam in north-eastern Spain caused by Catalan separatists blocking a major route near the city of Girona.

The protesters began gathering on the AP-7 highway on Tuesday night and by Wednesday morning had built several large barricades out of tree limbs and the road’s metal barriers.

Police vans arrived after several hours. When lines of police in riot gear advanced, the protesters retreated while setting fire to some of the barricades.

Spain Catalonia
Fires burn at the protest (Joan Mateu/AP)

The regional civilian protection authority said emergency services had distributed water, food and blankets to drivers and passengers who had been trapped during the night.

It said 84 people were taken by bus to a nearby sports centre to rest for a few hours.

The protesters were angered by the recent imprisonment of nine pro-independence politicians and activists.

French police detained 18 Catalan protesters on Tuesday who had blocked a major border crossing between Spain and France for several hours.

The protests follow Sunday’s national election in Spain.