Police have removed LVF flags from lampposts in Co Antrim – the second time officers took such action in less than a week.
But the move has sparked fresh calls for the PSNI to tackle the issue also plaguing other towns, cities and villages throughout the north.
Between 5-6pm yesterday (Thursday) police removed more than a dozen LVF flags at Nutts Corner roundabout near Crumlin.
It came a week after police removed UVF and Young Citizens Volunteers flags from the centre of Antrim town ahead of the Special Olympics.
At the time nationalists ex-pressed concern that the decision was due to the arrival of US athletes in Antrim for the major sporting event while police insisted it was part of a drive to keep the town centre "free from paramilitary emblems".
Last night a police spokeswoman said the LVF flags were taken down in Crumlin following consultation between senior officers and local representatives.
"It had nothing to do with the Special Olympics," she said.
A nationalist resident, who did not want to be named, said loyalist elements were trying to raise sectarian tensions in the area.
"I am pleased to see them flags gone and I hope it sets a precedent for the removal of other paramilitary flags, not just in Antrim or Crumlin," he said.
"Some people have a perception that it is just nationalists who are offended by these paramilitary flags, but my Protestant neighbours don't want these flags near their homes either."
Antrim Sinn Féin councillor Martin Meehan said: "They should be removed forthwith everywhere else.
"People are livid that they have been put up in abundance and in places where they never were before.
"It is about intimidation and marking out territory," he added.
Jim Rodgers, Ulster Unionist chairman of Belfast's District Policing Partnership, said: "I get numerous complaints from people about paramilitaries flags and I think it is time they were removed right across the communities.
"However, the police have got to ensure this is done fairly otherwise it is going to cause great anger."
