BELGRADE, Serbia-Montenegro — Dozens of villagers blocked roads Tuesday around U.S. Steel Serbia to protest alleged pollution by the steelmaker.

The blockade near the town of Smederevo, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) southeast of Belgrade, lasted for less than an hour and included residents from several villages surrounding the factory.

"We give the authorities 90 days to do something and protect the environment," local official Milan Kostic said. "We have to protect the lives of our children."

The villagers say that pollution in the area has increased considerably since last summer, but that the authorities have done nothing to determine the danger to people's health.

U.S. Steel Serbia is owned by Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel Corp., which bought Serbia's biggest but bankrupt steelmaker, Sartid Co., in 2001. The factory has revived production since 2001, becoming one of Serbia's most successful companies. It has annual raw steel capacity of 2.4 million net tons.

There was no immediate comment from U.S. Steel Corp.

Source: Associated Press