Hundreds gather in Ards to protest Irish Sea border

Several hundred people have attended a protest against the Brexit Irish Sea border in Newtownards, in County Down.

Four separate band parades converged on the town's main square where there were speeches by politicians, including Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) leader Jim Allister.

Among the onlookers was the area's DUP MP Jim Shannon.

One of the banners on display stated: "Dublin's Choice: Peace or Protocol".

Mr Allister told the crowd the next leader of the DUP needed to show "backbone" by withdrawing Paul Givan as first minister and telling the prime minister no-one will fill the post while the protocol remains in place.

Protesters were also urged to continue with demonstrations and to keep them peaceful.

There have been about 40 rallies against the protocol since April.

Police kept a low-profile presence at Friday's protest.

Also in attendance was the former Labour MP Kate Hoey - now Baroness Hoey - who addressed the crowd.

The Irish Sea border is part of the Northern Ireland Protocol, which introduced checks on goods crossing the Irish Sea into Northern Ireland from Britain in order to avoid checks on the land border with the Republic of Ireland.

The protocol means EU rules governing trade in goods still apply in Northern Ireland.