Two men arrested at the scene remain in custody following the incident which left one officer requiring hospital treatment.

Three PSNI officers have been injured during a "dangerous and reprehensible" ramming incident in Newry, with one requiring hospital treatment.

The officers had stopped a vehicle that was driving erratically at around 1.40am this morning in the Flagstaff Road area of Cloughoge.

The District Commander for Newry, Mourne and Down Superintendent Norman Haslett said that despite stopping briefly, the vehicle then "proceeded to repeatedly ram two police patrol vehicles".

Two men were arrested at the scene; a 32-year-old man on suspicion of offences including driving with excess alcohol and driving whilst disqualified, and a 30-year-old man on suspicion of offences including causing danger to road users and possession of class B and class C controlled substances.

Both remain in police custody at this time.

Supt Haslett said: “Our police officers work tirelessly at all hours of the day and night on behalf of the community to keep the community safe.

“This type of behaviour is dangerous and reprehensible and it needs to stop. I wish the officers who have been injured as a result a speedy recovery."

Supt Haslett has spoken out about the mounting number of attacks on police in the area, after three officers were assaulted at Daisy Hill Hospital this week while accompanying a patient requiring medical attention.

He said: "This was a particularly nasty assault. Two officers were bitten on the leg and one punched in the face, blood was also spat into the faces of two officers."

According to the PSNI, 17 police officers in Newry, Mourne and Down were injured in attacks during December.

Supt Haslett continued: “While we come to work knowing we could be faced with difficult and dangerous situations, it is completely unacceptable that our officers should be assaulted and verbally berated in the most shocking ways for simply doing their jobs."