Catalonia will hold a referendum on independence from Spain later this year, the head of the region has announced.

Voters will be asked: "Do you want Catalonia to become an independent country in the form of a republic?" in a new poll on October 1.

The Spanish Government has previously blocked attempts by the region to secede by ruling it illegal.

Catalonia previously held a symbolic ballot on the issues in 2014, months after the Scottish independence referendum returned a vote of 55% for No and 45% for Yes.

In that vote, 44% percent backed a split from Spain, while 48% wanted to continue remain part of the country.

Carles Puigdemont, president of the Catalan Government, said on Friday: "It is time for Catalans to decide their future.

"It is in our hands to prove that democracy unites us all above the legitimate and healthy discrepancies that characterise mature and convivial societies."

The Catalan government accused the Spanish government in Madrid of "abusing its powers to undermine" representatives in the region, while it is unclear how the impending legal battle over the legitimacy of the October poll will play out.

In Scotland, the prospect of a second independence referendum appears uncertain in the wake of big SNP losses in the general election.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon admitted the prospect of indyref2 had been a "factor" in her party's performance and vowed to "reflect carefully" on the result.