£19 0k bill for police to oversee removal of two Belfast bonfires

A PSNI operation to clear two controversial bonfires in Belfast cost nearly £190,000, it has emerged.

The Bloomfield Walkway bonfire in the east of the city was set alight overnight on July 10 after Belfast City Council secured a High Court injunction to have it removed.

A judge directed the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) to take action, but the bonfire was lit before contractors moved in.

The bonfire in Cluan Place was dismantled on July 11 after being deemed unsafe.

The Fire Service had raised concerns about nearby buildings.

Police stood guard while workers removed both pyres. Officers wore riot gear while workers had masks on to protect their identities.

It is understood around 700 officers were involved in the operation across both sites.

The bonfires at Bloomfield Walkway and (right) Cluan Place

The BBC reported the policing operation at Bloomfield Walkway cost £121,457, while the operation at Cluan Place cost £67,261.

Around £115,000 of the overall cost related to police being paid to work overtime.

According to the BBC, 16 public order units were sent to Bloomfield Walkway, while 11 units were sent to Cluan Place.

Chief Superintendent Jonathan Roberts said: “In the weeks leading up to July 11, police worked alongside partners, principally the landowners DfI and Belfast City Council in order to facilitate mediators who worked

tirelessly to agree a community-based and community-supported resolution to the bonfire sites where public safety was a concern.

“As the direct result of a court order on Tuesday, July 10, the landowner asked police to support their contractors in the removal of materials from the site at the Bloomfield Walkway. On Wednesday July 11 a similar request was made to police in respect of the site at Cluan Place.

“Whilst police had planned for such a contingency, the decision to remove the material was taken by the landowner.”