The Northern Ireland Executive has condemned “deplorable” riots in which more than 50 police officers have been injured during more than a week of violence.

Ministers were updated by the chief constable during a “special meeting” on Thursday morning, the executive said.

It is “gravely concerned by the scenes we have all witnessed on our streets, including those at the Lanark Way interface last night”, it said in a statement.

Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis is on his way to Northern Ireland and will be making a statement, Sky News understands.

The executive said: “Attacks on police officers, public services and communities are deplorable and they must stop.

“Destruction, violence and the threat of violence are completely unacceptable and unjustifiable, no matter what concerns may exist in communities.

“Those who would seek to use and abuse our children and young people to carry out these attacks have no place in our society.”

The executive continued: “While our political positions are very different on many issues, we are all united in our support for law and order.”

On Wednesday evening, a bus was hijacked and set on fire and a photographer attacked.

The scenes followed several nights of unrest in loyalist communities amid tensions over the controversial Northern Ireland Protocol within the UK and EU’s Brexit deal.

There are also tensions over the police’s handling of alleged lockdown breaches by Sinn Fein at the funeral of republican Bobby Storey.

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