Disturbances at Fountain

Tensions remain high in the district with some residents of the Fountain saying they became embroiled in hand-to-hand fighting with nationalists at one point.

Trouble continued on Monday night as a petrol bomb was thrown into a garden in the estate. Police maintained a presence for several hours, but despite this and efforts by community representatives to resolve the situation, youths continued to fire more petrol bombs.

Attacks have continued almost nightly for over two weeks and residents of the Fountain have told the Sentinel they are disturbed by the upturn in incidents and the increasing age of those involved.

Amongst the weekend's incidents was a petrol bomb attack on the city's court house which caused damage to a window. Police are appealing for information on the individual responsible.

On Monday night the Sentinel witnessed around a dozen youths congregated at Nailor's Row engaged in attacks on the estate. Youths, aged from 11 to 17 ignored the pleas of a local priest to stop their actions and became involved in a game of 'cat and mouse' with the PSNI.

However, the incidents running from midnight last Friday through to the early hours of Monday morning have caused the most concern.

Residents of the Fountain claim that unlike previous occasions when small children were involved in attacks there is an increasing trend of people in their late teens and into their 20's becoming involved in incursions into the heart of the estate.

The escalation in tensions have led a group of men from the estate to warn that they will operate as 'vigilantes' within the area.