It has been revealed that bomb alerts last month - on the opening day of the high profile US-NI investment conference - were far more numerous and potentially much more disruptive than was admitted at the time.

Police only admitted three scares, one, at around 9am, followed an anonymous telephone call indicated a device has been left near the electoral office in Banbridge - where Bridge Street in the town was evacuated.

The other, a bogus telephone call caused disruption on the Belfast-Dublin railway line which was closed for a period between Portadown and Newry - but was operational again at 10.30am following searches which found nothing untoward.

Also, in Belfast, a police spokesperson confirmed a package was found inside economic development agency, Invest NI's headquarters on Bedford Street shortly after 9.30am.

But, after an examination, officers deemed the package as not being suspicious.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the then newly appointed Irish premier Brian Cowen had just arrived in the Province as part of the US investment conference.

The incident at Invest NI headquarters took place only metres from US delegates who were meeting at nearby Blackstaff Square. The agency played a pivotal role in organising the three-day event.

An Invest NI spokesperson confirmed at the time that a security alert had taken place only causing "minor disruption".

He said: "Invest Northern Ireland can confirm that there was a security alert at its headquarters at Bedford Square on Thursday morning."

However, Sir Hugh Orde, PSNI Chief Constable, has now admitted that the hoax bomb calls - believed to be from dissident republican groups - were in fact far more numerous and more widespread, but were effectively dealt with so that little or no disruption took place.

He also insisted that no lives were at any time in jeopardy - with police reacting accordingly to each alert - but at the same time playing down disruption.

"Due to swift action by our officers, disruption was kept to a minimum," Sir Hugh told the NI Policing Board yesterday.

He also insisted that no lives were at any time in jeopardy - with police reacting accordingly to each alert - but at the same time playing down disruption.

Board Member, Ian Paisley Jnr said that "dozens and dozens" of hoax bomb calls were made on the morning of the conference.

Assistant Chief Constable, Duncan McCausland admitted" "It was a very demanding 48 hours. It wasn't just Belfast, it was spread across the Province.

"It spread out on the second day. I think the intention was very clear - to steal the headlines from the investment conference."

See: Bomb Alerts Cleared

(BMcC)