Church leaders in Northern Ireland are amongst those who have welcomed news that unionist paramilitaries have destroyed their weapons.

The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), which for years was the largest terrorist group amongst Northern Irish Protestants, announced this morning that their weapons were “totally and irreversibly beyond use”. A similar statement was made by another group, the Red Hand Commando.

It is understood that these actions took place in front of witnesses from the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (IICD).

In a parallel move, the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), the second main group of loyalist paramilitaries, confirmed that they had begun the process of destroying their weapons.

The news comes as a relief to those who feared that murders committed by dissident republicans in March could lead the unionists to stick to their arms. It is four years since the IICD observed the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) decommission their own weapons.

Dawn Purvis, leader of the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP), which has historically been linked to the UVF, said “war is over”.

“Eventually loyalists and republicans must sit down for the good of our country, if we claim to be patriots” she added. The PUP seeks to combine unionism with left-wing policies on social and economic issues.

The UDA stated that “There is no place for guns and violence in the new society we are building. It is time to work for a better future.”

The Northern Ireland Secretary, Shaun Woodward said that today is an “historic day”. Between them, loyalist groups killed around 1,000 people during the Troubles.