Sectarian clashes in north Belfast

Sectarian disturbances broke out between rival gangs in north Belfast on Sunday.

Police and soldiers cordoned off an area between Twadell Avenue and the Ardoyne roundabout on Crumlin Road.

The security forces moved in to separate rival crowds on Sunday afternoon.

Blast bombs, petrol bombs, stones, fireworks and other missiles were thrown by the factions at each other and at security lines.

Baton rounds

A Police Service spokesman said they came under "sustained attack" from around 150 youths throwing missiles.

At one point a section of the rioters tried to drag a policewoman out of an armoured Land Rover.

A number of baton rounds were fired by the police as they and the Army came under attack.

Bomb disposal experts were called to the scene to examine what is believed to be an unexploded pipe bomb.

Tensions

On Thursday, a bomb exploded setting an oil tank on fire during clashes between rival factions in north Belfast.

There were reports of gunfire as crowds of youths threw petrol bombs and missiles on the Ardoyne Road and Hesketh Road.

Two people were taken to hospital suffering from shock.

Earlier this month, the police blamed loyalist paramilitaries for orchestrating rioting and petrol and blast bomb attacks on the police.

There have been sporadic outbreaks of trouble in interface areas of north Belfast for almost a year since last summer.

Tensions between the Protestant and Catholic communities have remained high.