Orange marches get go-ahead in Belfast

Two contentious Orange parades in Belfast have been given the go-ahead by the Parades Commission in the North.

Tension is increasing in Belfast in the run up to Friday July 12th, the main date in the annual Orange Order marching calendar.

The Parades Commission has ruled that both the Ardoyne and Springfield Road feeder parades in north and west Belfast can proceed along their normal routes.

The Springfield parade goes through the twenty foot high peaceline separating the Catholic Falls and Protestant Shankill areas, using a gate that is closed the rest of the year.

The Ardoyne parade passes shops where last year there was two days of rioting after local nationalists clashed with the police.

However, a third contentious parade has been re-routed away from the Lower Ormeau Road. The marches all take place on Friday, the biggest day in the Orange Order's marching season.