The extent of the violence that yesterday gripped Belfast and Co Antrim became clear today as politicians and the police reacted with disgust to one of the most chaotic days the North has seen in many years.
Dozens of officers were injured as blast and petrol bombs were hurled across the city and beyond. Two civilians were hospitalised, one shot and the other caught in an explosion, when street violence erupted over a bitterly-disputed Orange Order march.
Hijacked cars and buses were set alight and used to block roads. A disused garage also went up in flames and British army explosives experts brought in to defuse seized pipe bombs.
Rev Ian Paisley
Plastic bullets and water canon were turned on the mobs carrying out relentless attacks on police and soldiers as thousands of rampaging loyalists vented their anger over the re-routing of the Orange Order's Whiterock parade
More than 1,000 police officers and 1,000 soldiers were deployed during the violence which PSNI Chief Constable Sir Hugh Sir Hugh described as some of the worst any force in the UK has had to face.
At least 50 live rounds were fired at police officers by Loyalist gunmen during the rioting, Sir Hugh disclosed.
Around 430 baton rounds were discharged, 250 by soldiers and the rest by police as the security forces attempted to halt the violence.
Police confirmed 12 officers were injured but said the final total would be much higher.
As the first stage of a massive clear-up operation began, officers prepared for further outbreaks. A stretch of the West Circular Road in the city was closed off after a suspicious object was discovered.
Even though order was eventually restored to most parts this morning - including the West Circular - police said tensions were still high. Crowds of youths were erecting new road barricades in the east of the city this morning, police said.
Sniper bullets and bombs struck a number of armoured Land Rovers yesterday during some of the worst violence on the West Circular Road.
At one stage officers dived for cover behind their vehicles amid the gunfire. Up to 1,000 loyalists were reported tonight on the streets of the Shankill, where the march had started out.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern today condemned the violence saying that whatever grievances people may have, "there is absolutely no justification for violence".
"This is a time for strong leadership on all sides to help build a better, shared future, and not revisit the failures and suffering of the past."
Shaun Woodward, the Northern Ireland Security Minister, said he was appalled by the violence and criminal behaviour on the streets. "There can be no justification whatsoever for the disgraceful violence and disorder we have seen," he said.
Orangemen and their supporters had been incensed by a decision by the ruling Parades Commission to reroute the Whiterock Parade, following opposition from residents.
Instead of passing through security gates on to the Springfield Road, marchers were told to go through the site of the former engineering firm, Mackies. As they made their way through crowds on both sides taunted each other.
As the worst of the violence flared further up the route, police fired baton rounds at rioters. Disturbances then spread to the Upper Crumlin Road/Hesketh Road junction of north Belfast, with security forces pelted by more petrol bombs and stones.
Orangemen make their way through Mackies factory in west Belfast before rioting gripped the city over of the controversial re-routing of the march
Dozens of vehicles were hijacked and set on fire. Three more cars were reported on fire on the Ardoyne Road, while a burning bus blocked off North Queen Street, close to the city centre.
Before the march reached the most hotly disputed section, clashes were reported. Sinn Fein claimed hundreds of loyalists emerged from the Sandy Row district and attacked nationalists on the Grosvenor Road.
Party president Gerry Adams also warned of a plot to goad Catholics into retaliatory strikes at the city's peacelines. "There is a concerted attempt under way to draw young nationalists and republicans into conflict at interface areas across Belfast."
Police Land Rovers were brought in to keep the two sides apart and clear the main Westlink motoring route through the city. Disturbances at the Short Strand/Albertbridge Road peaceline in east Belfast also rumbled throughout the day.
Further road blocks were erected at Ligoniel and the Crumlin Road in the north, and at the city centre Shaftesbury Square.
The gunfire confirms fears that loyalist paramilitaries planned to take to the streets. Thousands of Protestants had been expected at a major rally in north-west Belfast to protest at the parade ban.
But the Orange Order claimed nationalists attacked their marchers in east and west Belfast and accused police of failing to protect them.
A spokesman claimed when marchers approached the Grosvenor Road only one police vehicle was there and police were powerless to protect them.
He said: "Yesterday, Assistant Chief Constable Duncan McCausland gave repeated assurances to the public via media interviews that he had sufficient manpower and resources to deal with any eventuality that might arise.
"Clearly Mr McCausland is not up to managing the situation and containing nationalists bent on causing trouble. The PSNI's response to these troublemakers is both scandalous and pathetic."
Democratic Unionist Party leader Rev Ian Paisley, who was due to address the rally at Woodvale Park, claimed the security operation stopped Orangemen from attending.
He also criticised the authorities behind the reroute, accusing them of treating marchers shamefully. The North Antrim MP said: "The Parades Commission are to blame for the mess that has been created."
SDLP representatives issued a strong condemnation of the violence. West Belfast councillor Tim Attwood said: "We appeal for calm from all sides. The loyalist violence which has erupted is completely wrong and must stop. The loyalists responsible for this trouble are out to raise tensions and cause serious damage."
The disorder forced the cancellation of Mass at a Catholic church plagued by sectarian hatred in the past. Father Paul Symonds, parish priest at Harryville Chapel in Ballymena, decided to switch the service to another church in the town for safety reasons.