Roy Beggs MLA said:“The announcement that various loyalist paramilitary groups have to varying degrees finally decommissioned their illegal weapons is of course welcome news. However most people will react with caution, not least because the disarmament process - like the republican one- has been shrouded in secrecy.

“In pockets of my constituency I am aware of ongoing tensions between groups who have described themselves as belonging to one loyalist faction or another. There remains the potential for feuding to spill over into violence. Therefore the fact that at least some weapons have been removed from the equation is a very positive development. However, the process must be completed. The goal must be that the era of private armies and terrorist gangs is conclusively over."