Protesters have once again clashed with police over Melbourne’s East West Link road project.

A few dozen protesters linked arms and blocked entrances to a drilling site in Fitzroy in a bid to stop work.

But police moved in and began removing the protesters, pulling several of them off a fence around the site.

One of the protest leaders, Anthony Main, says police were heavy-handed in dealing with them.

“The police have come out with a huge presence today and with quite brutal and violence force in order to try to break up our picket,” he told Fairfax Radio.

A police spokesman said officers are now speaking with protesters but he did not know if if anyone had been arrested.

Protesters have repeatedly targeted drill rigs and followed workers from site to site in a bid to stop the completion of preliminary work the the multi-billion-dollar road project, which will link the city’s Eastern Freeway and CityLink.

Contractors likely to bid on the project have also been targeted.

Andrew Kelly and a woman only reported as Gabby locked themselves to the rig this morning.

#TunnelPicket I'm locked onto rig in Emma st

— Andrew Kelly (@KellyaAndrew) December 16, 2013

#TunnelPicket pic.twitter.com/SsCTlm7y7t

— Andrew Kelly (@KellyaAndrew) December 16, 2013

Gabby has a bike lock around her neck, fixed to Emma St drill rig, Collingwood. #tunnelpicket pic.twitter.com/i1Se3j0lij

— seanbedlam (@seanbedlam) December 16, 2013

Protestor Sean Bedlam reported on scene under the Twitter hashtag #tunnelpicket.

20+ cops to 'guard' lock-on at drill rig Emma st Collingwood. #tunnelpicket pic.twitter.com/4uZMuIjUYN

— seanbedlam (@seanbedlam) December 16, 2013

At Emma st we're told lock-on also at Westgarth st, so 3 sites of EW Link drill tests shut down! #tunnelpicket pic.twitter.com/JCzFdXQpoT

— seanbedlam (@seanbedlam) December 16, 2013

Most protestors were peaceful including this “radical” crocheter.

Not knitting, crocheting! #tunnelpicket pic.twitter.com/cuvrNNxfFD

— seanbedlam (@seanbedlam) December 16, 2013