Drumcree parade passes peacefully

Orangemen march in Sunday's Drumcree parade

The annual Orange parade at Drumcree in Portadown has passed off peacefully.

The parade, which was banned from returning along the mainly nationalist Garvaghy Road, left Carleton Street Orange Hall at 1020 BST.

After a service at Drumcree Church, Orangemen walked to a police gate at the bottom of Drumcree Hill and staged a brief protest.

District master Daryl Hewitt criticised the Parades Commission but said the order wanted face-to-face talks.

He said he was addressing Garvaghy Road residents directly when he said there would be no pre-conditions to such talks and all options would remain open.

PSNI Chief Superintendent Alan Todd said the day had gone very well and police had to use fewer officers than at any previous Drumcree.

The restricted parade has been marked by violence in the past, but has passed off peacefully in the last three years.

Since 1998, the homeward route of the Battle of the Somme commemoration parade has been blocked by the security forces, following a determination by the Parades Commission.