A far-right protest planned for New Year's Eve in Cologne has been banned amid security fears - 12 months after a wave of sex attacks on women in the city.

Police in Cologne have already announced plans to deploy more than 1,500 officers - over 10 times more than last year when officers failed to prevent a string of assaults and robberies blamed largely on foreign men.

But authorities have now refused permission for a demonstration by the far-right National Democratic Party and have set up road blocks to prevent anyone driving into crowds.

A far-right protest planned for New Year's Eve in Cologne has been banned amid security fears - 12 months after a wave of sex attacks on women in the city. Crowds are pictured in Cologne on December 31, 2015

The road barrier scheme emerged days after an ISIS fanatic drove a lorry through crowds of revellers at a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people (pictured)

The road barrier scheme emerged days after an ISIS fanatic drove a lorry through crowds of revellers at a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people.

Police chief Juergen Mathies said the demonstration would have drawn large numbers of counter-demonstrators and endangered security.

Following the December 19 Berlin truck attack, Mathies said police will deploy concrete blocks and vehicles as obstacles to protect some areas in the hours before New Year.

Last week, police in Cologne revealed how they have been preparing empty cells ahead of the upcoming New Year's celebrations.

Officers revealed the inside of the sober looking cells which will be used to lock up any sex attackers or pick-pocketers trying to ruin this year's celebrations.

The scenes in the square in the centre of Cologne, where 1,200 complaints were made of sexual attacks

It comes in response to the shocking scenes at last year's celebration in the square in front of the Cathedral, which was the target of mass sex attacks that shocked the world.

Police are also planning helicopter surveillance of revellers, limiting the number of people in certain areas and deploying police officers trained in investigating sexual assault.

In total, 1,222 criminal complaints were investigated by the authorities in Cologne in last year's New Year's Eve fiasco, of which 513 involved an accusation of sexual assault.

These included sexual coercion, rape and sexually motivated insults.