European leaders are gathering in Brussels today as part of their regular summits. Farmers unhappy with new green restrictions have pledged to paralyse the roads' network in and around Brussels in protest. Expect disruption across Belgium today. Our drone footage (top) illustrates the scale of the protest.
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Farmers disrupt traffic as EU leaders gather in Brussels (VIDEO)
Colin Clapson
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Updated:
Farmers protests of recent days should culminate in Brussels on Thursday as they target the gathering of EU leaders in the Belgian and Flemish capital. A thousand tractors have already arrived here.
Farmers are disrupting traffic on the Brussels orbital with only one lane open to traffic at Zellik. There are long tailbacks on the E40 on the approach to the ring starting at Ternat. Problems are also reported on the orbital at Huizingen and Ittre.
In Brussels farmers are using the Leuvensesteenweg to get their tractors to Madou where they plan to move onto the inner-city orbital “Kleine Ring”. There are tailbacks on the ring from Koekelberg.
In the Ghent area tractors are causing disruption on the city ring R40 and on the N60. Police say 412 tractors have converged on the city ring road.
The E40 is blocked at Oostduinkerke near the French border. There is a blockade on the express road between Bruges and Zeebrugge. By lunchtime 1,400 lorries travelling via the port had been stopped in their tracks. Police and the city of Bruges authorities have opened an emergency number for stranded truck drivers. Drivers in need of food or water can call 050 44 80 80. By early evening the situation in Zeebrugge had become so dire that Governor Decaluwé decided to trigger the provincial disaster plan to allow him to co-ordinate aid efforts to help stricken truck drivers.
In Limburg problems are focused on the Lummen intersection.
In Brussels local transport company MIVB is urging the travelling public to use the metro and premetro and is providing updates on which services are disrupted. Around noon police ordered the closure of the Park metro station in the vicinity of the federal parliament. Metro station Park reopened around 2PM.
In Brussels PM Alexander De Croo (Flemish liberal) has warned farmers could lose the support of the public at large, but in Ghent chippy "Frituur" is only too glad to serve protesting farmers.