'I'll never get over watching my home burn': Belfast residents reel after night of unrest

Families in Belfast, including one with a two-month-old baby, are counting the cost of Tuesday night's violence after being forced to flee their homes in the face of fires.

One man, whose home of 13 years was destroyed by fire, said watching it burn down was "a feeling I'll never get over".

Jamie Corrie, speaking outside the burnt out remains of his house on Lendrick Street in east Belfast, said by the time firefighters arrived his house was "already engulfed in flames".

Corrie said his house caught fire after a car belonging to "foreign nationals" who lived next door was set on fire.

On Tuesday night, houses, cars and a bus were set on fire and all public transport was suspended in the city. A pastor who was assisting families attacked in north Belfast said they were being put out "because they're black".

Three people have been arrested over the Belfast violence, while three people have also been arrested in Scotland with an assistant chief constable there saying people were "attacked because of the colour of their skin".

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said political leaders are "calling for calm", with authorities in Northern Ireland braced for possible protests and disruption on Wednesday.

Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said police will be on the streets on Wednesday night in greater numbers.

What about schools and public transport?

Services will be suspended, with buses stopping at 17:00 and trains at 18:00 on Wednesday.

Some schools in Belfast and the surrounding areas have closed early but the department has said that there is no blanket decision to close all schools.

The advice remains that efforts should be made to minimise disruption to students, with exams going ahead.

However they added that school leaders should monitor developments in their areas and take any actions deemed necessary based on local circumstances.

What happened to people caught up in the violence?

Jamie Corrie, who has lived on the same east Belfast street for more than a decade, said his house went up in flames.

Speaking to BBC News NI outside his home on Wednesday morning, he said he was "gutted".

"I told them before they were lighting the car, I said 'this is my property'.

"See standing there watching your house get burnt… that's a feeling I'll never get over," he says.

While he is also angry about the attack in north Belfast, he asked: "What does this resolve? What does this actually do? Burning cars out, wrecking your own community and now one of their own has just lost their home."

He said by the time firefighters arrived his house was "already engulfed in flames" and everything is destroyed.

"There's stuff in there that's sentimental, can't be replaced, that you'll not get again."

Yura, 19, is part of the Ukrainian family who were forced to flee their home on Lendrick Street in east Belfast during the disorder. She described the scenes last night as "terrifying".

"My neighbour's house was set on fire. So, my front door caught the fire a bit. It had to be kicked out to stop the fire because it was about to go in the house".

"I was with my dog at the house, so I had to escape through the back door. My neighbour's dog was trapped in the house so we were also trying to break into their house to get the dog.

"I was lucky that my friends live nearby, so they let me crash for the night."

Anselme Shima, who for 13 years has lived in east Belfast near where scenes of violence erupted on Tuesday night, said he was devastated and horrified.

"I didn't know what I can do to protect my children."

On Tuesday night, Jack McKee, a pastor helping those targeted at the Crumlin Road in north Belfast, said some of those he was assisting were members of his church "who have been with us for 20 years".

"They're good Christian people and they're getting put out just because they're black," he said.

"I'm doing my best to help them."

Biji Jose, from Northern Ireland's Indian Nurses Forum, said there is a lot of anxiety and worry over the disorder.

"People sometimes think about we are here to come to take their job. No, it is not the way. We are supporting the Northern Ireland community in many ways economically. We pay tax. We pay national insurance."

Why was there violence on Northern Ireland's streets?

On Monday night, a man, Stephen Ogilvy, was attacked on Kinnaird Avenue in Belfast.

A video widely circulated online showed a number of people, including one wielding a hurling stick, confronted the attacker until police officers arrived at the scene.

Reaction to the attack, and the alleged attacker's ethnicity, prompted calls for protests on Tuesday evening in many parts of Northern Ireland.

Many of the protests, in areas such as Ballymena, Londonderry and Antrim, saw people peacefully block roads.

However, scenes of violence emerged at protests in Belfast, Newtownabbey and Portadown.

Some of the worst scenes were in Belfast, particularly in the Newtownards Road, where a Translink Glider bus was set on fire, and Crumlin Road areas.

At one stage a masked group of about 100 people made their way down the Newtownards Road attacking houses and setting fire to vehicles – including a bus.

A man in his 30s told BBC News NI he had lived on the street for 10 years.

"Cars were set alight on the road, which caught fire to my house but masked men were bashing down doors," he said.

The fire service said it was called to 62 incidents on Tuesday night, most of them in the Belfast area.

Further disruption is expected on Wednesday, with some schools in Belfast deciding to close early.

The Department of Education has said there is no blanket decision to close all schools.

What have politicians been saying?

Speaking at Westminster during Prime Minister's Questions, Sir Keir said people are rightly sickened by the horrific attack on Monday night in north Belfast" and said their "thoughts are with the victim".

"But let me be clear Mr Speaker, the acts of violence and arson that followed are totally unjustified," he added.

The prime minister said he had spoken on Wednesday morning to Northern Ireland's first and deputy first ministers and the PSNI chief constable.

"We are united in calling for calm and determined to restore order, support the police and all those on the front line, and ensure that justice is done," he added.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the scenes were "deeply disturbing", adding that people have a "right to be angry" and the right to "expect politicians to secure our borders".

"But no one has a right to burn families out of their homes or to burn public property and attack the police."

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Benn said it was now down to people who participated in disorder to decide whether they want to continue to "leave children absolutely terrified as they're taken out into the dark with flames and screaming around them".

PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher called on people to not get "carried away with a tide" of views online and be "persuaded by people who know nothing about Northern Ireland".

"Stop listening to these idiots. We will be going after them for the incitement they will be doing."

Northern Ireland first minister described Tuesday's violence as "disgusting cowardice" and "thuggery", while Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said it was "absolutely unacceptable".