Police and soldiers injured in night of rioting

Several police officers and soldiers have been injured during hours of rioting in north Belfast.

The security forces have come under sustained attack from both nationalist and loyalist crowds. Police say they believe about 30 officers had been injured.

At least two blast bombs exploded among police confronted by nationalist crowds in the Ardoyne and large numbers of petrol bombs, acid bombs and other missiles rained down on them.

Police retaliated with seven plastic bullets and called in army bomb disposal experts to examine a number of suspicious objects lying in the road which were thrown at them.

About 300 nationalists - some attacking police from the roof tops, were involved in the rioting and a short distance away some 60 loyalists confronted troops at Twaddell Avenue where a soldier was injured when hit in the face by an acid bomb.

Police said a number of arrests had been made as the violence continued for a second night. Several cars and vans which had been hijacked were also set on fire in the rubble-strewn streets.

The trouble spread to the Whitewell Road and Serpentine Gardens where cars were damaged and houses had their windows smashed.

Meanwhile it was announced that the Holy Cross Catholic girls primary school will reopen.

Father Aiden Troy, the chairman of the school board of governors, said the board had decided to reopen the school "in the interests of the staff and pupils".

He said: "The board has come to the conclusion, hopefully rightly, that the sooner we get the children back into a settled situation the better."