CHILDREN as young as 12 were involved in a "pre-arranged fight" at an east Belfast interface, it has been claimed.
Police officers were attacked as they responded to the trouble involving up to 30 young people in the Bryson Street/Pitt Park area on Saturday night.
Afterwards, officers found some of the weapons hidden nearby, including a baseball bat, an iron bar and planks of wood.
"These objects were located and seized by police even with stones and bricks being thrown at us and our vehicles," a post on the PSNI Facebook page said.
Mairéad O'Donnell, Sinn Féin representative for the area, said most of the young people involved in the disturbance were not from the Short Strand area and that "worryingly" some were as young as 12 or 13.
"They are travelling here for pre-arranged fights, organised through social media or whatever," she said.
"Some of these children, and I do call them children because that's what they are, think this is fun.
"But it's not fun for any of those residents who live along there and have to deal with this and the aftermath. Some residents have been subject to a lot of verbal abuse.
"I have had to liaise with Belfast City Council to get their cleansing team out to clean up broken bottles, brick and other items."
Ms O'Donnell said that from July there had been several incidents of pre-arranged fights and that while "some of it had been put down to sectarian strife" it was ultimately "anti-social and anti-community".
She added: "I would urge young people to desist from this behaviour, stay away from the interfaces and think to your future. We don't want to see any young people caught up in the judicial system or getting hurt or injured."
Meanwhile, Belfast PUP councillor Dr John Kyle has appealed to parents to ensure they know where their children are at night.
"Over the last few weeks, there's been a recurring problem with large numbers of young people congregating in the Newtownards Road area and this has been an increasing problem for local residents," he told the BBC.
"Many of the young people are coming in from outside the area.
"People get injured, property is damaged, local residents' lives are disrupted and young people end up with criminal records."
Police have said enquiries will be made and CCTV followed up to identify those involved in the disorder.
