SDLP claims extortion is pushing up North house prices

The SDLP has claimed that paramilitary protection rackets are adding around £600 (€870) to the cost of every new house built in Craigavon, Co Armagh.

Party spokesperson Dolores Kelly said building sites in the area had been targeted by loyalists demanding money in exchange for ensuring the safety of workers and for protecting the sites from looting.

Ms Kelly said she had been reliably informed by construction industry sources that paramilitaries were extracting £15,000 (€21,800) in protection money for every small housing development.

She said this amounted to around £600 (€870) per house and she had contacted the PSNI chief constable and the Independent Monitoring Commission to express her concerns.