Stormont: Protesters urge politicians to 'get back to work'

A protest has been held at Stormont to mark two years since the official collapse of devolved government in Northern Ireland.

More than 100 people attended the rally at Parliament Buildings on Saturday.

They called for an end to the political deadlock and urged assembly members to "get back to work".

It was organised by members of the public and the We Deserve Better group, whose members say they are frustrated by the lack of devolved government.

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"We are hoping that the politicians will get back to work because people are really starting to feel the knock-on effects of them not legislating," organiser Gareth Burns told BBC News NI.

"It is also the case that there are things that can be done but that aren't being done."

Gareth Burns was one of the organisers of the protest

"One of the most noticeable things would be the length of waiting lists in the hospitals. Some of these more urgent issues need to be dealt with but in order to do that we need to have the legislative assembly back in place again."

He said politicians need to have patience and trust in one another.

"The people here may be slightly critical of them but we do have hope that they can overcome this as well."

'We deserve better'

Both young and old people in the crowd carried placards with slogans on them saying "we deserve better".

Health and education workers also addressed those attending and said the impasse was increasingly effecting public services.