CATALAN officials have announced that 90 per cent of those who voted in the contested referendum have called for Catalonia's independence from Spain.
The Catalan government said around 2.26million people voted in the banned independence referendum to leave Spain on Sunday, representing a turnout of around 42.3 percent of Catalonia's 5.34million voters.
It comes as Spain has faced criticism after images emerged of police attacking voters as they attempted to stop the referendum taking place.
Rubber bullets were reportedly fired at protesters and video emerged showing ballot boxes being seized.
Nearly 850 people were injured as police clashed with independence protesters on polling day.
The Spanish government declared the referendum illegal and sent in thousands of national police, the Guardia Civil.
Police in riot gear closed polling stations and used batons to stop would-be voters reaching ballot boxes.
Catalan’s regional police, Mossos, clashed with the Guardia Civil as they sought to protect voters.
One user on Twitter said: "Catalan police is now defending voters from Spanish police. That's one inch from a civil war."
Other footage reveals the Spanish Civil Guard hitting crowds of local firemen, who had formed a human chain to shield unarmed voters from violence.
Earlier on Sunday Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont declared the region's independence earlier on Sunday.
Mr Puigdemont said: "With this day of hope and suffering, the citizens of Catalonia have won the right to an independent state in the form a republic.
"The citizens of Catalonia, we have won the right to have an independent state constituted in the form of a republic.
"Catalonia has hard won its sovereignty and all to the respect and the institutions have the obligation to implement the result.”
Spanish authorities have denied accusations of police brutality and claimed that no referendum took place in Spain.