Policing in Portadown town centre has been stepped up to prevent violence which has badly affected business. At a specially convened meeting yesterday, the president of Portadown Chamber of Commerce, Mr David Maxwell, urged traders to reopen their shops this morning following disruption which has led to many premises remaining closed.
Yesterday afternoon there was a noticeable increase in the number of policemen on duty in the town. This was one of the key demands of yesterday's meeting. During recent weeks, and especially since last weekend, trade has been falling off because of loyalist protests, unauthorised parades and the destruction of three Catholic-owned premises in the predominantly Protestant town.
Appeals by church leaders and others to the Portadown Orangemen to call off their Drumcree protest have been firmly rejected.
