Three vehicles, including a state ambulance, have been torched and another stoned by protesters in  Port Elizabeth's northern areas in the past 24 hours.

Police have warned that William Slammert Drive and the end of Stanford Road, near Vastrap in Booysen Park, are closed.

The protests are linked to ongoing disputes regarding service delivery in the area.

The latest incident saw an Izikathi Security vehicle torched after protesters blocked William Slammert Drive.

According to police, the road had been blocked with rubble and stones when protesters forced the security vehicle to stop.

Officials said the driver was told to run away before protesters  torched his vehicle.

This comes after a metro EMS ambulance and a courier delivery vehicle were torched near Qunu in Booysen Park on Wednesday night.

Police spokesperson Col Priscilla Naidu said the ambulance, which was en route to a medical call-out, was ambushed and torched at about 8pm on Wednesday. 

“About six suspects were hiding in the nearby bushes when a petrol bomb-type device was thrown at the ambulance.

“The crew abandoned the vehicle and fortunately, a second ambulance was nearby to assist,” Naidu  said.

“As the second ambulance approached, the suspects pelted it with stones.”

An hour later, a courier vehicle was also stoned, before being hijacked in nearby William Slabbert Drive.

Earlier this week, five people were arrested for public violence linked to the protest.

-HeraldLIVE