Anti-lockdown protesters blasted with water cannons as they launch fireworks

Dramatic pictures show demonstrators clashing with police outside The Hague in the Netherlands after Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced new measures to tackle a Covid surge

Anti-lockdown protesters have been blasted with water cannons after they hurled missiles at police in a rally over new restrictions in the Netherlands.

Dramatic pictures and video shows the group of demonstrators clashing with officers outside The Hague as tensions rise.

Around 200 protesters gathered as the move was announced last night.

Yesterday the country’s caretaker Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, said he had no choice but to impose new measures due to rising Covid rates in the country.

He said sporting fixtures would again be played behind closed doors, while shops and restaurants will have to close early.

The government also recommended that no more than four visitors be received at home, effective immediately.

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Cafes and nightclubs will have to close at 8pm today.

In a televised address last night, Mr Rutte said: “Tonight we are bringing a very unpleasant message with very unpleasant and far-reaching measures.

“The virus is everywhere and needs to be combated everywhere.”

The measures are meant to contain a surge in coronavirus cases that is straining hospitals across the country.

New infections topped 16,000 for the second day in a row on Friday, beating the previous record of just under 13,000 confirmed cases in a day set in December last year.

Mr Rutte instructed people to work from home whenever possible, and said no spectators would be allowed in the coming weeks to attend sporting events, including the Dutch football team’s World Cup qualifier against Norway on Tuesday.

Schools, theatres and cinemas will remain open.

Friday’s announcement marked a dramatic change of policy for the Dutch government, which until last month had thought that a relatively high vaccination rate would allow it to further ease measures towards the end of the year.

Nearly 85 per cent of the adult Dutch population has been fully vaccinated.

Since the start of the pandemic, the Netherlands has recorded 2.27 million Covid cases and 18,695 related deaths.

It comes after Austria said on Thursday it was days away from placing millions of unvaccinated people in lockdown.