Spanish fuel protest turns violent

Madrid: Truck drivers in Spain began an indefinite strike over rising fuel prices on Monday, smashing windscreens of vehicles that defied the strike.

Television footage showed abandoned lorries with broken windscreens, with lights ripped out and tyres punctured after they tried to cross picket lines.

Some 15 truckers also stopped lorries from travelling to Spain in the French border town of Perthus, but allowed smaller vehicles and buses to proceed.

Spain has experienced more than 20 per cent rise in fuel prices this year and strike leaders have called for price guarantees.

"Truckers can't work, we are losing money and someone has to find a solution," Jaime Diaz, president of Spain's National Road Transport Confederation, told Ser radio station.