New clashes in Sardinia as Naples garbage flows in

ROME (Reuters) - Six protesters were arrested in Sardinia on Saturday after a second night of clashes with Italian police over tons of trash that were shipped to the Mediterranean island from Naples to ease a garbage crisis there.

Around 1,000 protesters in Cagliari, Sardinia's capital, burned garbage containers, threw rocks at police and dumped trash bags outside the villa of regional governor Renato Soru, whom they criticize for agreeing to take some of Naples' waste.

A police spokeswoman said eight policemen were slightly injured, adding the protest had subsided early on Saturday.

Sardinia, a popular holiday destination, was the first region to heed a call from Prodi for local authorities nationwide to help ease the crisis in and around Naples, where 140,000 tons of rotting garbage piled up in the streets after all dumps filled up.

On a trip to Malta, Prime Minister Romano Prodi condemned the violence, saying he thought "very badly" of the protesters.

"The government cannot tolerate that this problem remains unsolved," he told reporters, saying everyone had a duty of solidarity towards Naples. "This emergency is a shame for the whole of Italy."

The first shipments of trash arrived in Sardinia late on Thursday, sparking scuffles between locals and police.

Other parts of Italy, such as Sicily, have now reluctantly agreed to take some of the trash mountains and in Naples the army is helping clear up the streets.

The Naples crisis is an embarrassment for Prodi and his centre-left coalition, which runs the city and the surrounding Campania region. Thousands of people marched through the city this week and one suburb became a lawless no-go area at night.