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12 July 2011
Last updated at 02:46 ET
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The BBC's Andy Martin said youths hijacked a bus and drove it at police lines
A bus was hijacked and driven at police in Belfast on Monday night during disturbances ahead of the annual Twelfth of July celebrations.
Crowds of nationalists also threw petrol bombs and masonry at police during serious rioting in west Belfast.
Plastic bullets were fired in response by police in the Broadway and Oldpark areas of the city.
Water cannon was used during trouble at Broadway and a total of seven police officers were injured in the rioting.
Police are investigating reports that gunshots were fired in the area but there are no reports of any injuries as a result.
On the Falls Road, in the west of the city, A driver was dragged from his bus and the passengers ordered off.
It was then driven at police lines on Donegall Road, but crashed a short distance away. A van was also set alight on the Donegall Road.
On the Twelfth of July, the protestant Orange Order take part in demonstrations across Northern Ireland, commemorating Prince William of Orange's 1690 Battle of the Boyne victory over catholic King James II.
'Havoc' Sinn Fein MLA Jennifer McCann was at Broadway for several hours during the trouble. She believes that those taking part in the rioting were not from the area.
"Mostly what I saw was people who came from other parts of Belfast, who would be known as anti-social elements, who had taken a lot of drink and were attacking the police," she said.
"The only people that they were causing havoc to, apart from the PSNI, last night, were local residents.
"Children were terrified in their homes, people fearful that their cars might be hijacked, people fearful that their homes might be attacked.
"What I witnessed last night was a disorganised mob attacking police lines."
Street violence Police used water cannon after coming under attack from a crowd of around 100 to 200 people throwing missiles and stones in the Broadway and Falls Road areas.
About 40 people gathered in North Queen Street and petrol was thrown at police.
There was also trouble in north Belfast.
There was a minor disturbance on the Shore Road after a barricade was erected across the road at Greencastle Station. It has now been removed.
There were also minor disturbances in the Whitewell area of the city.
A number of residents in the Ballysillan area have had to leave their homes because of a security alert.
A local community centre was opened to accommodate them.
Army bomb experts were called to examine a suspicious vehicle at Glenbryn Parade, but the incident was later declared a hoax.
There were reports that windows had been smashed during trouble in the Portadown area of County Armagh.
The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said one firefighter was slightly injured by youths throwing stones in Londonderry.
It said it was dealing with around one call every 75 seconds across Northern Ireland. By 0100 BST on Tuesday it had received 180 fire calls, a 65% increase on the previous year.
Are you in the area? Did you witness the trouble? Send us your comments using the form below.
Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7725 100 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.
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Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.The BBC's Andy Martin said youths hijacked a bus and drove it at police lines
A bus was hijacked and driven at police in Belfast on Monday night during disturbances ahead of the annual Twelfth of July celebrations.
Crowds of nationalists also threw petrol bombs and masonry at police during serious rioting in west Belfast.
Plastic bullets were fired in response by police in the Broadway and Oldpark areas of the city.
Water cannon was used during trouble at Broadway and a total of seven police officers were injured in the rioting.
Police are investigating reports that gunshots were fired in the area but there are no reports of any injuries as a result.
On the Falls Road, in the west of the city, A driver was dragged from his bus and the passengers ordered off.
It was then driven at police lines on Donegall Road, but crashed a short distance away. A van was also set alight on the Donegall Road.
On the Twelfth of July, the protestant Orange Order take part in demonstrations across Northern Ireland, commemorating Prince William of Orange's 1690 Battle of the Boyne victory over catholic King James II.
'Havoc' Sinn Fein MLA Jennifer McCann was at Broadway for several hours during the trouble. She believes that those taking part in the rioting were not from the area.
"Mostly what I saw was people who came from other parts of Belfast, who would be known as anti-social elements, who had taken a lot of drink and were attacking the police," she said.
"The only people that they were causing havoc to, apart from the PSNI, last night, were local residents.
"Children were terrified in their homes, people fearful that their cars might be hijacked, people fearful that their homes might be attacked.
"What I witnessed last night was a disorganised mob attacking police lines."
Street violence Police used water cannon after coming under attack from a crowd of around 100 to 200 people throwing missiles and stones in the Broadway and Falls Road areas.
About 40 people gathered in North Queen Street and petrol was thrown at police.
There was also trouble in north Belfast.
There was a minor disturbance on the Shore Road after a barricade was erected across the road at Greencastle Station. It has now been removed.
There were also minor disturbances in the Whitewell area of the city.
A number of residents in the Ballysillan area have had to leave their homes because of a security alert.
A local community centre was opened to accommodate them.
Army bomb experts were called to examine a suspicious vehicle at Glenbryn Parade, but the incident was later declared a hoax.
There were reports that windows had been smashed during trouble in the Portadown area of County Armagh.
The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said one firefighter was slightly injured by youths throwing stones in Londonderry.
It said it was dealing with around one call every 75 seconds across Northern Ireland. By 0100 BST on Tuesday it had received 180 fire calls, a 65% increase on the previous year.
Are you in the area? Did you witness the trouble? Send us your comments using the form below.
Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7725 100 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.
Read the terms and conditions
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed | Amazon Plugin | Settlement Statement | WordPress Tutorials