Police injured in Drumcree riot

Twenty-four police officers were injured when a low-profile security operation at the annual Drumcree parade in Northern Ireland backfired and ended in rioting.

Loyalist protesters attacked riot police with stones and other missiles and almost broke through a scaled-down metal barrier used to prevent the Orange Order marching through a Catholic district of Portadown in Co Armagh. Four of the injured officers were taken to hospital after the fighting.

Police said they were confident of bringing charges because many cameras trained on the flashpoint showed the faces of rioters. A man who was holding a large stone was hit by a plastic bullet and apparently suffered a broken elbow. Police later used water cannon to disperse about 150 protesters who were trying to pull down barbed wire fencing.

Assistant Chief Constable Stephen White said: "We were told there would be a dignified protest. We were prepared for violence and unfortunately that is what happened – mindless, violent thugs attacked police officers. All the indications up until this point were that the Order had asked for calm.''