Hundreds of Belgian steel workers are blocking a busy border crossing between Belgium and the Netherlands to protest against planned job cuts by ArcelorMittal.

More than 200 workers blocked the highway in both directions near the Belgian city of Liege, causing long traffic jams.

Union leader Pietro Gettino says the protesters are "doing what the politicians should have been doing for a while, blocking the borders".

In January, ArcelorMittal, the world's leading steel and mining company, announced plans to close a coke plant and six production lines in Liege, a move that threatens 1,300 jobs.

By late morning, the protesters were holding a barbecue on the normally busy highway but had begun slowly letting cars through the blockade.