Masked men threw petrol bombs at police on Wednesday night in Albertbridge Road and Cluan Place. Several baton rounds were fired.

A bus was hijacked on the Albertbridge Road while a number of other vehicles were set on fire.

Blast bombs were reported to have been thrown and police were also investigating claims shots were heard in the area of Glenbryn and the nationalist Alliance Avenue.

By coming across to Broadway it will make journey times longer to our patients but the staff really can't work under such conditions

Denis Eliot Ambulance service

In north Belfast, a pipe bomb exploded at the rear of Glenbryn Park while controlled explosions were carried out on three devices that were later declared hoax.

Meanwhile, an ambulance station in east Belfast was forced to close because of the trouble.

Staff representative Denis Eliot said it was too dangerous for crews to stay at the Templemore Avenue depot and they transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital.

"This is the first premises that has actually had to close," he said.

"By coming across to Broadway it will make journey times longer to our patients but the staff really can't work under such conditions.

Pipe bomb

"I think it is high time that the community and the leaders got together and said hang on this is the 21st century, it's not a third world country we are living in, we are living in the modern day and this has to stop."

Six police officers were injured in sectarian clashes in the same area of east Belfast on Tuesday night. None of them was seriously injured.

Army officers made safe a pipe bomb-type device in Bryson Street earlier on Wednesday.

The remains of a second device were discovered nearby and the Army made safe a hand grenade found in Clandeboye Drive.

Roofs were damaged during trouble

A family of six live in the house at Bryson Street. The house has been attacked several times in the past year.

The man who lives in the house said he feared for his family's safety.

"I took the grills off the front windows to get back to a bit of normality but I will have to put them back up again - you couldn't live like that," he said.

"Stones, bricks and bottles may be alright - but the bombs - if that had have hit here, the whole lot would have come in last night."

There has been continuing sectarian violence at the interface area for several months.

The government has been urged to step in and put an end to the violence in east Belfast.

Politicians on both sides of the divide have warned the ongoing bitter clashes will end in tragedy.

Sinn Fein and the Ulster Unionists held separate talks with Northern Ireland Office ministers on Wednesday to discuss the problem.

Further talks are planned at Stormont on Thursday morning.