Hundreds of officers deployed to regain control of O’Connell Street on sixth day of protests by farmers and hauliers

Police have cleared a blockade of central Dublin by farmers and hauliers who were protesting about fuel prices, signalling a possible end to six days of protests that have rocked Ireland.

Mounted units and hundreds of officers regained control of O’Connell Street in a peaceful operation that emptied the thoroughfare of trucks and tractors on Sunday morning.

Other police units sealed off a section of the city of Galway in an attempt to end a blockade of a fuel depot, the latest in a series of coordinated actions that began on Saturday when gardaí removed protesters from outside the Whitegate oil refinery in County Cork, prompting scuffles and the use of pepper spray.

Protesters outside a fuel terminal in Foynes, County Limerick said they would lift the blockade at 1pm on Sunday.