Trucks wrecked in riots
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• An estimated 40 trucks wen: wrecked in riots in Northern Ireland last week, devastating operators on both sides of the religious divide.
Lorries were set ablaze by youths and used to block major routes in the disorder sparked by an Orange Order parade in Portadown. Jimmy Quinn of Continental Perishables, based near Dundalk in the Irish Republic, says there were scenes equivalent to "Beirut on a bad day".
One driver had an encounter with armed youths wearing bala clavas who emerged from roadside bushes and lay down in the road, forcing him to stop. He was then ordered out of his cab at gun-point and his vehicle was reversed across the road and burned.
According to the Northern Irish office, 400 vehicles were registered as damaged by the end of the week, with the repair bill likely to top ,f..10m. Compensation could take up to a year to come through; standard insurance will not cover the damage.