Bus hijacked amid riots in Northern Ireland

Rioting erupted in Northern Ireland, with a bus hijacked and petrol bombs thrown at police.

Officers were last night dealing with "serious public disorder" in Ballyclare, County Antrim.

A spokeswoman for the Police Service of Northern Ireland said: "At around 11.30pm, 70 to 100 people became involved in throwing petrol bombs and missiles at police.

"The water cannon has been deployed and AEPs discharged.

"A bus has been hijacked and police are advising motorists to avoid the area."

Several officers were hurt when the hijacked bus crashed into a police vehicle, the PSNI spokeswoman said.

A number of baton rounds were fired as the trouble flared.

The spokeswoman added: "While it is believed people were struck we have no reports of any injuries at this stage."

Although police said calm was restored in Ballyclare by 2.30am, a number of vehicles were also hijacked in the nearby areas of Carrickfergus and Newtonabbey.