North alert declared a hoax

A number of houses were evacuated following a security alert in Belfast this morning.

A number of houses were evacuated following a security alert in Belfast this morning.

The alarm was raised shortly before 8am when a suspicious object was discovered outside a house in the Heath Lodge Drive area of Ballymurphy.

Army technical officers attended the scene and a controlled explosion was carried out. The device was found to be “not viable” and a police spokeswoman later described it as an “elaborate hoax”.

Inquiries are ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact police.