EU staff will be temporarily withdrawn from their work at Northern Irish ports due to security concerns, the EU Commission said on Tuesday.

"We asked them not to attend their duties today, and we will continue to monitor the situation and adapt accordingly," an EU Commission spokesman said, adding that security of EU staff in Northern Ireland was a high priority.

Northern Ireland temporarily suspended some inspections at two ports late on Monday after a local council withdrew staff over concerns for their safety and police said they planned to increase patrols at points of entry.