Other NI News In Brief

Firemen Attacked

Firefighters were forced to withdraw from a blaze being tackled in west Belfast at the weekend. The crews were forced to pull out after two of their members were hurt and later had to be treated in hospital after being attacked by a gang of youths while they were tackling a car blaze in the Springhill Avenue area on Saturday night. The attackers began throwing bottles and bricks at them, just before 11pm. A police spokesman condemned the attack: "Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service is an essential service and therefore the lifeblood of any community," he said. "It provides an invaluable service and makes a real difference to people's lives on a daily basis. Attacks on any emergency service not only puts staff at serious risk but also endangers the lives of the whole community."

Beacon For 11th Night Change

Belfast City Council is testing novel beacons which it hopes will be used as an alternative to bonfires on 11 July. They are made from wood chippings in a steel cage, but at a cost of £12,000 each, the council wants to find out how often they can be used before melting. NI Environment minister Sammy Wilson has said he wants to see them used in more areas.

Milk Sours

The falling wholesale price of milk will leave thousands of desperate dairy farmers on the brink of going out of business, a leading farmer has claimed. Warning that the industry's collapse would be more spectacular and damaging than the implosion of the housing market, Banbridge farmer William Cromie said that farmers were facing "devastation". He said that prices at the United Dairy Farmers' milk auction - which sets the price for milk in Northern Ireland each month - collapsed from 25p per litre to 18p per litre last week.

DPP Member Slams PSNI

An independent member of Moyle District Policing Partnership has claimed that people are less safe in their homes and streets than two years ago - and that things are set to get worse. Kevin McAuley said a typical day in Moyle may see at most four officers available to police 190 square miles, including 42 miles of coast and Rathlin Island.

(BMcC)