Ballymena riots: It is hard to see where the violence will end – and it could go on for weeks

The ugly, violent side of this Northern Ireland town was on full display once again last night.

Angry mobs went on a rampage through the streets of Ballymena for a second evening as riot police from across this country were drafted in to push back against an escalating ambush.

Hours of blaring sirens were punctured by the relentless sound of bricks and petrol bombs landing on police vehicles.

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The main roads became a war zone with fires in the middle of the carriageway, cars ablaze and the crunch of broken glass at our feet as we walked the streets.

Masked and hooded young men were blasted with the water cannon as tensions boiled over in a strained, fragile community.

This has been rumbling for days and began when a vigil, held for a girl who was the victim of an alleged sex attack was, according to police, hijacked by anti-immigration mobs.

Authorities say “racist thugs” used the incident to plot their attacks on foreign people living locally.

One family with three children were said to have hidden in their attic on Monday night as yobs ransacked their home.

Another man told me how he had to drag his 84-year-old mum from her home of 40 years “kicking and screaming” as it was simply not safe anymore.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” he said.

On Tuesday, many displayed posters on their windows in a desperate bid to ensure their house did not become a target. Others draped Union Jack flags on full display.

The notice “British household” was visible from one house.

There is a feeling among the crowds here in Ballymena that the police branding them racists has escalated this row further.

In a horrifying twist, we got word in the middle of the night that another house had been firebombed.

When we arrived at the scene, it was a charred shell. The property was completely gutted.

Neighbours described how several hundred “protesters” had gathered outside before hounding the foreign occupants out. One woman was pacing up and down, crying in distress at what happened.

Another man, who lived a few doors down, hinted that this community had “had enough” of “people moving in”. He lambasted the media and refused to engage any further.

As I drove out of Ballymena at 1.30am, I witnessed other families dragging suitcases full of their belongings through the streets. They were flanked by riot police, armed with shields, who helped them to safety in a late-night escape.

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It is hard to see where this ends.

The talk here is that this unrest is only just beginning.

It could go on for weeks – and already there are questions about the pressure that will pile on police who will be desperate to de-escalate this mess.