Updated 09:20

A PRESS PHOTOGRAPHER was shot in the leg last night as between 300 and 400 people rioted in east Belfast.

Three shots were fired as loyalist and nationalist crowds threw petrol bombs, paint bombs and fireworks in the loyalist Lower Newtownards Road. There were also clashes between crowds and PSNI officers, who fired plastic baton rounds as rioters threw masonry.

It is the second night of rioting in the area, which saw two people receive gunshot wounds on Monday. Two other men received burn injuries last night, the BBC reports.

The photographer was treated for a gunshot wound to the leg at Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital, where he remains in a stable condition. The PSNI last night described the incident as “serious disorder” and advised the media to stay out of the area for their own safety. Roads were closed and motorists also advised to stay away.

A 20-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of possession of offensive weapon and assault, and remains in custody this morning.

The rioting was sparked on Monday when gangs of loyalist youths attacked a row of nationalist houses in the neighbouring Short Strand area, the SDLP’s Conall McDevitt told RTE radio. PSNI Chief Supt Alan McCrum later said the attack had been “orchestrated” by UVF loyalist paramilitaries, and branded it “an attempt to murder police officers” after two shots hit a PSNI Land Rover.

Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson said yesterday: “It is disappointing and deeply concerning to see this level of violence return to our streets,” the Irish Times reports.