Fortress Ulster - the G8 lockdown begins as Obama and Co head to Fermanagh

The single biggest security operation ever mounted in Northern Ireland has been stepped up to its highest level, three days before the world’s most powerful leaders arrive here for the G8 summit.

An impregnable ring of steel has been thrown around parts of Fermanagh, with hospitals, schools, transport services, airports and communities all facing disruption. The Western Health Trust has rescheduled some planned operations and outpatient appointments for the duration of the G8 summit. PSNI district commander Chief Superintendent Pauline Shields said the G8 security operation across Fermanagh and Belfast is “the biggest operation that the Police Service of Northern Ireland has ever had to deal with”.

A 30-tonne water cannon with a 9,000-litre capacity is already stationed on the Shore Road to the hotel, which closed at the beginning of the month.

[link to www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk]