While the loyalist protest in Glenbryn has calmed it has emerged that many of the children involved have been so terrified by recent events that they have been prescribed sedatives and tranquillisers to help them deal with the experience.

Dr Michael Tan, a GP working in the Ardoyne area, said that he had seen at least 15 children brought to his surgery by parents concerned about possible signs of what he described as ‘post-traumatic stress’. He said the children had been suffering from the worst symptoms of emotional trauma he had seen in young people – including nightmares, flashbacks and dread of returning to the school grounds - and commented that he had been forced to prescribe tranquillisers as strong as diazepam for some of the older children.

He added: “I am extremely concerned about children having to take tranquillisers at such a young age.

“These are families who would not use or abuse prescription drugs. But if this violence continues I can see people having to request repeat prescriptions and a new generation forced to rely on drugs.”

Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid, who had cut short his holiday to deal with the situation, described recent events during the standoff as ‘traumatic’ for the children involved, and added that he believed that children had “every right to go to school free of harassment, free of trauma, free of violence and free of the threat of bombs that we've seen this week."

Urgent talks between security ministers and other parties have been held in an attempt to defuse ongoing community tension in the area. (CL)