Belfast 'Car Bomb Alert' Over

An overnight explosion and a security alert in Belfast have added to travel woes for NI drivers this morning.

First, in the early hours of this morning, an explosion occurred close to Guildhall Square in Londonderry.

The device detonated at the City of Culture office at around 3.30am on Monday morning in the Custom House Street area.

There are no reports of any injuries, but the pedestrian area from the Square leading into Waterloo Place was sealed off as Army technical officers were tasked to the scene.

This afternoon, the police reopened roads and said a small device had indeed exploded at about 3.30am outside the City of Culture office in Waterloo Place.

The Mayor of Derry, Colm Eastwood, of the SDLP, said he was shocked by the bomb attack and said the location - at the City of Culture offices - amounted to an attack on all the citizens of the city given the opportunities it offered for employment and commercial development.

Sinn Fein Councillor Paul Fleming has also said those who left a device at the City of Culture offices in Derry City centre overnight have nothing to offer people here.

The former Mayor of Derry said: "Leaving a device at the City of Culture offices will achieve absolutely nothing other than to disrupt the lives of people in Derry as they try to go about their daily business.

"It happened in an area which by in large is populated with local traders who are just trying to recover from the worst trading conditions in over a quarter of a century due to the recent extreme weather.

"There are people working very hard at the City of Culture offices to attract investment, tourism and job creation for the citizens of Derry - and working to ensure that Irish culture in fully included in the plans for Derry in 2013. The last thing they need is incidents like this taking place which is attempting to undermine that good work," he commented.

Meanwhile, on the Westlink in Belfast police were alerted to a suspicious vehicle.

The incident began at 4.40am the M1 was closed in both ways between Divis Street and Stockmans Lane with traffic diversions in place.

However, by 10am, the alert on the Westlink ended and all roads have been reopened.

The police said a vehicle has been removed for examination.

Over the weekend, several homes were evacauted when a suspicious object was found outside a house at Norfolk Drive in the Stiles area of Antrim just before midday on Sunday. That alert ended some hours later, and the police said it is not yet known if the object was a viable device.

Elsewhere today, the police have issued a warning for motorists to use extreme caution while driving describing some areas as treacherous.

The frosty conditions in Carrickfergus, Newtownabbey and the Lisburn areas left black ice that is believed to have caused a number of damage-only accidents.

(BMcC/GK)