Catalonians head to the polls for a regional election Madrid hopes will end the political crisis itv.com

Polls have opened across Catalonia in a pivotal regional election the Spanish government hopes will end a political deadlock sparked by the region's deeply polarising independence bid.

Voting at the nearly 2,700 began at 9am.

The vote was called by Spain's central government after it seized control of the northeastern region in late October following an "illegal" independence referendum called by the region’s former leaders.

The referendum was won by the secessionists, but the central authorities moved to dissolve the Catalan parliament and impose direct rule from Madrid.

Many of the independence movement’s leaders subsequently fled or have been jailed.

Opinion polls ahead of the election have shown fugitive and jailed separatist candidates neck-and-neck in opinion polls with unionists, who claim to be in the best position to return Catalonia to stability and growth.