Police patrols stepped up in north Belfast

Police in north Belfast have increased patrols following a series of sectarian attacks on Catholic homes in the flashpoint Deerpark Road area.

A loyalist mob, which included known members of the Ulster Defence Association, forced two families to flee their homes in the area on Wednesday night.

Security sources said the incident was part of a campaign of ethnic cleansing against Catholics being introduced by the UDA’s new commander in the area, a 33-year-old man known as Bonzer.