Several cars have been hijacked and set alight on the Lower Shankill Road in Belfast. The police have come under attack from a Loyalist crowd hurling petrol bombs, bottles, bricks and fireworks.
At least three RUC officers have been injured. The trouble erupted after a pipe bomb was uncovered by police in the area.
The North's Security Minister, Jane Kennedy, earlier announced a number of measures to tackle sectarian unrest in North Belfast. The measures include the building of a peace line close to Holy Cross girls' primary school.
The proposals will see the current peace line extended to separate Alliance Avenue from Glenbryn Park. The Chairman of the school's board of governors, Fr Aidan Troy, gave the Security Minister's decision a cautious welcome.
Protestant residents have criticised her decision to rule out a permanent gate on the Ardoyne Road. The area has seen ongoing protests on the part of Loyalists residents, who object to the girls' use of part of the road which leads to their school.
