HUNDREDS of central Vietnamese villagers blocked traffic for hours on the country’s main arterial road to protest against pollution from a coal-fired power station, a local official said yesterday.

Nguyen Thanh Sang in Binh Thuan province said that the villagers threw rocks, bricks and petrol bombs at riot police who were trying to direct traffic on Wednesday night.

About 10 policemen suffered minor injuries.

Mr Nguyen said that the 500 protesters left after authorities agreed to see that their concerns were addressed and traffic on Highway 1 was running again early yesterday morning.

He quoted the villagers saying that they blocked traffic to get attention from the central government after repeated demands in the past were not met.

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has urged the power plant and relevant agencies to control pollution, the government said yesterday.