At least 26 officers were injured during an operation to disperse a large crowd that gathered in the Bois de la Cambre park on the south side of the Belgian capital, the agency reported citing a police spokesman.

Water cannons and mounted policemen were deployed.

According to estimates by authorities, some 1,500 to 2,000 people gathered in the Bois de la Cambre, where they violated distance and hygiene measures.

In a video published by the public broadcaster RTBF, police could be heard asking people to disperse. The clashes reportedly took place after the loudspeaker announcement.

The security forces were pelted with bottles from the sometimes aggressive crowd, and some were cornered by the greater number of rioters.

One officer was hit in the head and taken to hospital,according to the police.

The maximum number of people allowed to gather outdoors was reduced from 10 to four.

Over the last week the country has recorded a daily average of 4,742 cases in a 9-per-cent increase compared to the previous seven-day period. In total over 882,000 infections and more than 23,000 Covid-19-related deaths have been recorded.