Northern Ireland

Police scrapping tickets issued to drivers following Newtownabbey bus attack

A bus was destroyed after it was hijacked and set on fire in Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, on Sunday. Picture by Hugh Russell
A bus was destroyed after it was hijacked and set on fire in Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, on Sunday. Picture by Hugh Russell A bus was destroyed after it was hijacked and set on fire in Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, on Sunday. Picture by Hugh Russell

POLICE are scrapping tickets issued to motorists who tried to drive on a one-way road following a loyalist attack on a bus in Newtownabbey.

Two buses have been hijacked and torched in the last 10 days in attacks linked to loyalist protests against the Northern Ireland Protocol.

A Translink Metro bus was hijacked in Newtownabbey on Sunday evening.

The burnt-out shell of the bus was removed on Monday morning.

Several driving tickets were issued to motorists who were trying to navigate the West Crescent area on Monday morning.

Police said the tickets are now are being scrapped.

A police spokesman said: "Police in Newtownabbey can confirm that a number of road related tickets issued on Monday (8th November) to motorists at the West Crescent area are currently in the process of being rescinded."

The attack came after masked men hijacked a Metro bus and torched it in Newtownards, Co Down, on Monday, November 1.

The 'Protestant Action Force', a cover name previously used by the UVF, said it was responsible.

Metro drivers in Belfast held an impromptu walkout on Monday in protest at recent attacks.

Around half of all Metro services, mostly in the north and east of Belfast, were suspended on Monday evening due to safety concerns.

The services resumed on Wednesday night.

Ian Campbell, Translink director of service operations, said it is continuing to monitor the safety situation.

"We will continue to make safety our priority," he said.

"We will continue to liaise with the PSNI, trade unions and the community and monitor services over the coming days and have steps in place to respond to any arising situations."