Roads closed in Belfast following second night of attacks on police

A number of roads have been closed in Belfast after police were attacked with missiles for a second night.

Police have urged the public to avoid several areas in the south of the city due to “continuing disorder”.

The warning on Tuesday came after up to 50 young people were involved in attacks on police with petrol bombs and paint on Monday.

Giving an update on Tuesday evening, a PSNI spokesperson said: “Police have closed a number of roads in the south Belfast area this evening, Tuesday 16th July, due to continuing disorder.

“The Westlink onto Broadway Roundabout country bound has been closed to traffic.

“Closures are also in place at Tates Avenue, Boucher Road, Donegall Road and Donegall Avenue in the direction of Glenmachan Street.

“Traffic disruption is expected for the rest of the evening.

“Please seek an alternative route for your journey, and we remind road users and members of the public to avoid the area.”

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Images on social media showed a number of PSNI Land Rovers in the area and masked youths hurling stones and bottles.

A number of police cars as well as cars belonging to members of the public were damaged during the disorder at the nearby Broadway Roundabout on Monday night.

South Belfast DUP MLA Edwin Poots said tensions in the area have been high for months between young people coming from the west Belfast side of the junction and those from the south Belfast side “hand to hand fighting” and throwing missiles close to a busy road.

He has called for intervention from Belfast City Council and other organisations to create diversionary schemes.

Mr Poots said the situation in the area has been “ongoing from October last year” but had been “taken to a different level” on Monday.

“Week after week the local people are having to put up with this nonsense and it is grossly unfair on the residents that are living in the nearby area,” he told the BBC.

“Ultimately something is going to have to be done (to reduce tensions in the area) because someone is going to get seriously injured.

“This is a policing matter and the police will have to deal with it but there are a number of things that can be done, community diversionary work is critically important and perhaps this particular area is not as well resourced in that as some of the other areas in Belfast, and council and others have missed the ball in that, having something to take these youths away from the area would have been beneficial.

“We have known about this and we’ve been pressing and urging for more action to be taken for many months now.”

He added: “Someone is going to get seriously injured, that’s a busy road, people are hand to hand fighting, they’re throwing missiles, a member of the public could get hurt, a vehicle could hit one of these young people, so really we need to clamp down on it and get it stopped.”

Sinn Fein MP for west Belfast Paul Maskey said: “Scenes of disorder and anti-social behaviour in the Broadway area over recent days are deeply concerning, and totally unacceptable.

“This reckless activity is not representative of this city and is in stark contrast to the hugely positive work that is being done to continue the positive transformation of Belfast.

“I would appeal for calm in the area and urge young people not to get caught up in this type of activity which could have a really detrimental impact on their future and lead to a criminal record.”