The bonfire at Bloomfield Walkway in east Belfast was lit, hours after a judge ordered its height to be reduced ahead of the Eleventh Night.
A large police operation was put in place with over 100 officers in riot gear at the scene. The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue service also attended to protect nearby homes.
Contractors then arrived to start clearing the area around the bonfire and police say missiles were thrown at officers.
Last night, high court judge, Mrs Justice Keegan ordered the Department for Infrastructure to take immediate steps to reduce the height of the bonfire to a maximum of three metres as it was ‘out of control.’
Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd said unfortunately, as police moved in to secure the site to enable the contractor to safety remove material, the bonfire was lit with total disregard for the safety of the community.
He also said police received reports of a number of vehicles having been set on fire in the area.
“It is disappointing that some people decided to resort to violence as attempts were made to reduce significant threat to the life and property of local people, due to the size and location of this bonfire,” he said.
“Over recent months there has been a concerted effort by a wide range of agencies and community representatives to resolve this completely avoidable situation.”
And he said he wanted to thank those people for their efforts in trying to bring about a resolution to this matter.
“We all hoped that the bonfire builders would see sense. Regrettably this hasn’t proved to be the case.
“Moving forward, PSNI will continue to liaise with partner agencies, communities and political representatives to address concerns linked to bonfires. While PSNI is not the lead agency on bonfires and have limited legislative power in respect of bonfires or waste which has been illegally disposed at sites, we will continue to support other statutory bodies to carry out their roles if requested,” he added.
