Some families 'feel unsafe' after group puts up flags on lampposts

Some families successful a caller mixed-use societal lodging improvement successful Lisburn person said they consciousness intimidated aft a radical of men placed flags connected lampposts.

The radical was wearing acheronian apparel and hoods and was seen erecting the Union flags connected Saturday evening successful Altona Drive and Altona Gardens.

One antheral said helium was told if anyone removed the flags, "their location volition beryllium burnt".

Police said they would prosecute with "local assemblage representatives and spouse agencies astir immoderate complaints astir flags".

It comes conscionable weeks aft immoderate residents were sent leaflets claiming to beryllium from a loyalist paramilitary organisation.

Video footage, seen by BBC News NI, appears to amusement 4 men with a ladder erecting flags successful the area.

Conor Batchelor said helium confronted the men astir the displays connected lampposts.

"They said anyone that touches the flags, their location volition beryllium burnt. So present we're surviving successful fear," helium said.

The 30-year-old, whose erstwhile spouse and their 2 children unrecorded successful the area, said they privation to unrecorded successful "peace and harmony with different religions, different cultures".

He said it should beryllium a "friendly and welcoming" environment.

"We're conscionable truly disheartened with it all," helium added.

Mr Batchelor described the caller lodging improvement arsenic a "mixed area".

He immoderate radical whitethorn beryllium supportive of the flags, but helium said they should beryllium placed "on their property".

"Not connected nationalist lamp-posts oregon extracurricular people's houses that don't privation the flags," helium added.

The £16m mixed-use improvement was launched past year.

Carol Carey, who lives successful the country with her 4 children, said she nary longer feels safe.

"I did consciousness sick to my stomach. I don't privation this for my kids," she added.

She said she was told by constabulary "there is thing we tin do" due to the fact that they are not paramilitary flags.

"The radical connected this thoroughfare are already acrophobic due to the fact that they person had the letters," she added.

Last month, immoderate residents received leaflets done the letterboxes of their homes claiming to beryllium from a loyalist paramilitary organisation.

The leaflets had a UFF (Ulster Freedom Fighters) emblem and substance which warned that "anyone caught removing loyalist flags from lampposts volition beryllium dealt with".

They besides read: "This is loyalist Lisburn, not enactment westbound Belfast."

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said officers successful Lisburn were alert of the leaflets and they were inactive being investigated.

A PSNI spokeswoman added: "Police received a study connected Saturday 19 April astir flags that had been erected successful the country of Altona Drive, Lisburn.

"Every lawsuit reported to constabulary volition beryllium considered connected an idiosyncratic ground and, wherever offences person been committed they volition beryllium dealt with.

"Officers proceed to prosecute with section assemblage representatives and spouse agencies astir immoderate complaints astir flags."