DUP councillor Lee Reynolds said the council's decision would "disproportionately" impact on the unionist community

THE DUP has requested a 'call-in' of a Belfast council vote to allow staff or contractors to remove bonfire materials.

Nationalist and unionist councillors were split on the Sinn Féin motion, which was backed by 31 votes to 21, when it was discussed at a city hall meeting on Wednesday.

Sinn Féin said the council has a duty to tackle "unacceptable" bonfires, but unionists accused the party of a "cultural war".

It follows weeks of tensions over loyalist Eleventh Night bonfires and August anti-internment pyres in some nationalist areas in the city.

The 'call-in' procedure can be requested if 15 per cent of councillors believe it was not properly reached or would adversely affect a section of the community.

A lawyer is then asked to examine the motion and determine whether it should be reconsidered.

DUP councillor Lee Reynolds? confirmed that his party group had submitted a 'call-in' request.

He said the council's decision would "disproportionately" impact the unionist community.

"It is a bad policy that has been adopted through a bad process. We have this right to make people reconsider so obviously we were going to exercise it," he said.

Sinn Féin's Jim McVeigh said his party group was "not unduly concerned or surprised" by the move.

"As far as we're concerned the motion that was passed and the specific proposal applies to both communities," he said.

The councillor added: "We will await to see what comes out of the process."

A Belfast City Council spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that a call-in request has been submitted and is currently being examined."