Church Road is home to the Henry Jones playing fields
There is a security alert at the Henry Jones playing fields in Castlereagh, on the outskirts of east Belfast.
Police are at the scene on Church Road and the playing fields have been closed while searches are carried out.
East Belfast Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) is among the clubs to use the facilities.
It said that local sports clubs had worked hard to revive the pitches and it is “saddened at those who threaten to disrupt the peace and cause alarm”.
“This is especially disappointing following the positive news that some of the underutilised space at Henry Jones will be reallocated to facilitate a GAA pitch,” the statement added.
It will be the first council-run GAA pitch in east Belfast “and is long overdue”, the club added.
Road closure
A road closure is in place at the junction of the Church Road and Manse Road and people have been advised by police to avoid the area.
Alliance Party leader and East Belfast assembly member Naomi Long said that the situation was “utterly unacceptable”.
“Solidarity with East Belfast GAA and all those who use these facilities,” she tweeted.
She added that her thoughts were with those living in the area and the police dealing with it.
People have been asked to avoid the area
Football coach Tim Wareing was at Henry Jones Park on Monday evening, taking a one-on-one football session with an 11-year-old boy when the incident happened.
“It was a quiet, beautiful evening,” he told BBC News NI.
At about 19:00 BST he said a council worker came over and told him there was a security alert and he would have to clear up and leave the scene as soon as the PSNI arrived.
“It was quite shocking – it’s 2023 – you would think we would have moved on from this – our own club is very inclusive and we have stayed away from aligning ourselves with an area in Northern Ireland to bring the two communities together,” he said.
“Hearing that news is quite shocking when you’ve got a young child there – it makes it even worse as you’re trying to keep them calm and wondering what on earth is going on.
“It’s a disgrace. It is so backward and very disappointing. I was livid driving away from the facility that this young boy’s training session was cut short at because of a security risk.
“We need political parties to come out together and send a definite message that this can’t go on in east Belfast.”
East Belfast GAC started in May 2020 and was the first GAA club in the east of the city in almost 50 years.
