Rioters clash with police on Ardoyne march route

Five police officers have been injured during violence and rioting linked to the marching season in Northern Ireland.

Five police officers have been injured during violence and rioting linked to the marching season in Northern Ireland.

Three officers came under attack from youths who hurled stones, masonry and six petrol bombs at them in Rasharkin, County Antrim.

A police woman was also hurt tonight in separate disturbances at the nationalist Ardoyne shop-front flashpoint in north Belfast.

Police were attacked by rioters at the sectarian interface ahead of a controversial parade by a local lodge returning from the main Belfast demonstration.

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Throughout the evening bricks stones and bottles were intermittently thrown at police lines at Ardoyne shops which are along the contested route.

In the back alleys around the shops young masked men, some carrying iron bars, gathered with bottles to make petrol bombs. At one stage a masked youth was seen arriving with a plastic petrol container so others could fill the petrol bombs.

At about 6.30pm some of these youths began throwing these bombs at the police who were in full riot gear. These and other missiles were hurled at officers in a sustained period of trouble.

Police in full body armour made an assault on some of the rioters gathered at the shops to try to force them back into the side streets shortly before 7pm.

Water canon were also brought to the scene of the disturbances. A police helicopter also monitored the scenes.

Sporadic attacks on homes and properties outside Belfast, mainly in Co Antrim also continued today.

A petrol bomb was thrown at an Orange hall at Main Street in Rasharkin, Co Antrim on Sunday evening but it failed to ignite. A 38-year-old man has since been charged with attempted arson.

Officers also came under further attack today with missiles during a security operation in Armagh.

They were dealing with a bomb which exploded in the Friary Road area of the city earlier. Police said four people were arrested for public order offences and minor disturbances with several petrol bombs thrown but no injuries.

There were two cars stolen but police and local representatives are working to restore calm.

In Derry police officers were on duty on the streets of the city following minor disturbances which followed the first July Orange Order parade to he held in the city since 2005.

The officers were deployed when a group of nationalist youths clashed with loyalist youths as bandsmen returning from the Field following the procession. The incidents took place in the Diamond area of the city centre as the three local lodges walked through the city centre at the end of the day’s parade.

Additional reporting: Agencies