Belfast - Two men aged 17 and 18 have been arrested following a third night of trouble in the nationalist Ardoyne area of north Belfast, police in Northern Ireland said Thursday.

Around 100 youths gathered and threw stones, bottles and petrol bombs at officers and a car was also set on fire shortly after midnight, the police said. One policeman was injured.

Meanwhile, detectives investigating a shot fired at police during rioting in the area on Monday night arrested a 30-year-old man early Thursday.

A 28-year-old man was detained Wednesday in connection with the same incident. Trouble in the area began Monday after an attempt was made to disrupt a loyalist July 12 parade.

July 12 parades were being held at 18 venues across Northern Ireland with marches taking place on Monday 13 because the commemoration fell on a Sunday.

Hundreds of bands and members of hundreds of orange lodges took part in the parades which celebrate the victory of Protestant King William of Orange over the Catholic King James at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.

Nationalist Sinn Fein and police blamed dissident republicans for Monday night's trouble in which nine police officers were injured. A number of republican groups later denied involvement.

In a statement the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said they were continuing to work closely with the community to end these disturbances.

The statement said no-one wanted this kind of disorder and violence in their neighbourhood, preventing members of the community from going about their normal routine and causing damage to homes and businesses in the area.

Police appealed to all of those with influence in the community to work with them to bring the disorder to an end and appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

Parish priest Father Gary Donegan told Ireland's national broadcaster RTE that the violence was no longer a reaction to Monday's controversial parade, but it had become a form of recreation for young people.

He said he hoped the situation would now calm down.

Power-sharing was restored to Northern Ireland in May 2007 after a series of agreements brought the region's bloody 30-year conflict between Catholics and Protestants to an end. (dpa)