An image of Sinn Féin deputy leader Michelle O'Neill has been placed on a loyalist bonfire in Co Tyrone.
The picture, along with Irish flags, appeared on the pyre in the Eastvale area of Dungannon this evening as bonfires in loyalist areas across Northern Ireland prepared to be lit as part of the annual 12 July celebrations.
More than 200 bonfires will be lit in loyalist areas across Northern Ireland tonight as part of annual Twelfth of July events to commemorate the victory of King William of Orange in the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.
Ms O'Neill leads Sinn Féin in Northern Ireland, which won the most seats in the Assembly election entitling her to be nominated as the first nationalist or republican first minister.
However the Stormont Assembly remains collapsed amid DUP protest action over post-Brexit arrangements.
DUP MLA Deborah Erskine condemned the picture of Ms O'Neill on the bonfire as "wrong", and urged those responsible to remove the effigy.
"Numerous events will be held tonight without burning flags, symbols or effigies, Dungannon should be the same," she tweeted.
Police and community representatives were this evening working together to remove material from a bonfire in Rathcoole, Newtownabbey, on the outskirts of north Belfast.
An effigy, above a poster bearing the name of Sinn Féin councillor Taylor McGrann, appeared on the pyre.
A police spokesperson said they are treating this as a hate crime and have liaised with community representatives with a view to having the material removed.
DUP Leader Jeffrey Donaldson said the burning of flags or election posters are "self-inflicted wounds" for unionists.
"For those of us who do cherish the legacy of the Glorious Revolution then the best way to show that to others is through peaceful and positive celebrations," he said.
"Those don't include the burning of flags or election posters on a bonfire, but thankfully in the vast majority of cases that does not happen.
"Unfortunately, it will be a minority of cases where offence is caused that will dominate the headlines.
"As unionists we need to recognise that such incidents are self-inflicted wounds.
"From fun-days and bonfires on the 11th through to the annual Sham Fight at Scarva on Thursday, for most people it will be time to spend with family and catching up with friends.
"All of us who enjoy the celebrations can play our part in demonstrating to others everything that is best about this time of the year and why it is so important to us all."
'Tallest pyre in the world'
Meanwhile, bonfire builders in Co Antrim say they are confident they have beaten their own unofficial record for the tallest pyre in the world.
The one in Craigyhill in Larne is a league of its own when it comes to size.
The builders set an unofficial world record last year when they reached a height of 61 metres and this year they set out to go higher still.
A large crane had to be used to get the builders up and down in a cage and to lift some of the material.
The view from the top is not one for the faint-hearted.
It took seven weeks to build and involved a team of 50, which included two qualified engineers who helped with the design and planning.
"You can't go to that size without having somebody on board that genuinely knows what they are doing," explained Ian Railton, a member of the Craighill Bonfire Committee.
"We're at a brilliant, brilliant height and to do that you need professionals on board.
"We had two engineers on board to help us design the shape of it so that all the weight ratio goes into the centre of the bonfire.
"If you look at it it looks straight but if you get up close there's a very, very small angle on it so that all the weight pushes down into the ground because of the size of it, it has to be nice and safe and secure.
"Everybody got up and down safely and that is the main thing. We built this and no-one was injured."
Thousands of wooden pallets make up the frame of the bonfire, which organisers say were all bought after a fundraising campaign.
The huge construction has become a tourist attraction and the background for family photos and selfies, with a couple from Wales among those who visited over the weekend.
When Guinness World Records said they would not send an adjudicator to officially confirm the record, the bonfire committee brought in a team of independent surveyors.
The measurement is due to be carried out this afternoon and the bonfire committee is confident a new record will be set.
DUP MP Sammy Wilson said that community efforts in Craigyhill was an example of "what is best in Northern Ireland".
"This is truly a community venture, and one which has involved people from right across the community and it is a demonstration of how positive engagement in our history and culture can bring people together," he said.
Meanwhile, the PSNI has launched an investigation after a poster of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and a Tricolour were burned on a bonfire in Moygashel in Co Tyrone at the weekend.
It also featured a banner reading "Moygashel says 'No' to Irish Sea border", referring to unionist opposition to post-Brexit trading arrangements.
Those involved in the Craigyhill bonfire say they have a policy of no flags or political emblems on bonfire.
The Eleventh Night bonfires are the busiest date for the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service, which usually deals with hundreds of calls.
Additional reporting PA
