PSNI declare 'major incident' after south Belfast bonfire removal request
The PSNI have said they have declared a “major incident” in relation to a request to help with the removal of bonfire material in south Belfast.
It relates to the bonfire close to an electricity substation on the edge of the loyalist-dominated Village area.
The substation helps supply power to two hospitals, and there have been fears voiced that it will be damaged if the bonfire goes ahead on Friday.
The statement from police this evening comes after Sinn Fein MLA Pat Sheehan said earlier in the day that it is “my understanding is the contractor is now on standby” to remove the material.
“We can think of no other scenario where a structure like this beside electrical infrastructure wouldn’t be swiftly removed, and that’s the situation we’re in at the minute,” Mr Sheehan had said.
At 8.30pm this evening, the PSNI said: “The Police Service of Northern Ireland have received a formal request for assistance from Belfast City Council in relation to the removal of material from a bonfire site at Meridi Street in south Belfast.
"We have declared this as a major incident and a Tactical Coordination Group has been established this evening with multi-agency partners to ensure joint understanding and to comprehensively assess all of the risks associated with this request.
"No decision has been taken at this stage and we continue to work with our partner agencies and community representatives on this matter.”