BREAKING NEWS: Hungarian riot police ready water cannon against protesting migrants

Migrants stand in front of a barrier Wednesday at the border with Hungary near the village of Horgos, Serbia.

Hungarian riot police, backed by water cannon and armoured vehicles, moved into position at a border crossing where migrants were demanding they be allowed to cross from Serbia, a U.N. official at the scene told Reuters.

The migrants were blocked from entering Hungary by a metal fence, under a crackdown launched by Hungary's right-wing government on Tuesday. The official said more than 100 riot police with shields were present.

A spokesman for the Hungarian government said: "There are people armed with pipes and sticks on the Serbian border pelting policemen and trying to get into Hungarian territory. An aggressive group of unidentified illegal migrants is trying to get into Hungary."