Fireworks thrown at fire crews responding to incidents

Fireworks were deliberately directed at fire crews during six separate incidents on Halloween night as they responded to dozens of callouts across Northern Ireland.

The fire service responded to 89 incidents, several of which were Halloween-related with 23 of them involving bonfires, between 18:00 GMT on Saturday and 01:00 on Sunday.

"No damage or injuries resulted and operational response for local communities was maintained throughout," a Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) spokesperson said.

Halloween celebrations took place across Northern Ireland over the weekend, with the biggest festival being held in Londonderry on Saturday evening.

This year, Derry marked four decades of the festival with events inspired by folklore, mythology and the traditions of Samhain, the ancient Celtic festival from which Halloween has its roots.

Now a major fixture in the city's calendar, the final day of the festival attracted visitors from around the world, who joined in the celebrations with all of the ghosts, ghouls and goblins.

Thousands of revellers then lined up along the riverfront to watch the dazzling fireworks display to mark the close of the festival's 40th year.

In the Republic of Ireland, Dublin Fire Brigade reported the highest number of Halloween calls in more than a decade.

Chief Fire Officer Greg O'Dwyer said that, as of midnight, Dublin Fire Brigade had received 558 calls, an increase from 320 calls last year.

O'Dwyer also reported 483 Dublin ambulance calls and 338 East Region fire calls.

"A very busy night in the ERCC tonight... a total of over 1,350 calls processed already," he told Irish broadcaster RTÉ.

O'Dwyer described the conditions as a "perfect storm", pointing to the combination of dry weather and Halloween falling on a Saturday.

An Garda Síochána (Irish police force) reported no disturbances of serious concern.