A home owner in Bangor faces a bill of almost £800 to shield his windows from a traditional Eleventh Night bonfire after the Northern Ireland Housing Executive said it would supply protective boards but not fit them at private properties.

Tim McCullagh, who lives close to the Churchill Park bonfire site, received a letter from the executive offering to deliver boards to nearby homes. Only properties owned by the executive, however, would have the boards installed by its contractors. Mr McCullagh booked a private contractor to do the work at a cost of £785.

He said the bonfire could cause damage and questioned why it is allowed, pointing out that it happens every year. His objection was financial rather than cultural, stating he does not want to be out of pocket. He also highlighted the cost to ratepayers, who fund the boards and the staff delivering them.

The Housing Executive said in a statement that it had offered protective boarding to both its tenants and other residents, and urged anyone with issues to get in touch so a resolution could be found. It does not approve bonfires on its land but said it monitors sites, works with agencies and elected representatives, and takes reasonable steps to reduce risk, including property protection.

In east Belfast, Tullycarnet Library on the Kings Road boarded up more than 20 windows ahead of a nearby bonfire. Windows on two sides of the building were removed and replaced with wooden panels. The affected rooms include a toddlers' play area that faces the pyre, which sits on waste ground in the middle of a housing development about a mile from Dundonald Ice Bowl. The library remains open this week.

Eleventh Night bonfires are lit annually in unionist areas across Northern Ireland ahead of the Orange Order's Twelfth of July parades.