Scare as bomb found in school

WORKMEN had a narrow escape yesterday in the Rev Ian Paisley’s constituency when an improvised bomb near a primary school fell on them as they cut a hedge.

The device was discovered near Harryville Primary School, which was evacuated and closed for the day as Army bomb disposal experts made safe the device.

Headmistress Lesley Meike said they were fortunate it did not detonate.

She said: “The board maintenance men were here this morning. They were cutting the hedges for me and it fell out on one of the men. Thankfully it didn’t go off. That was a blessing.

“We were taking children on the way to swimming when the workmen came down and told us to stop as they thought they had another suspicious device.

“They had phoned the police and the police arrived around the same time. The maintenance men were rather shaken.”

Nearby houses in Casement Place were also evacuated during the alert, which lasted an hour and a half.

However, Army bomb disposal experts were called back into action after more suspicious objects were found during follow up searches in the area.

Last month three viable pipe bomb devices were found near the school.

However, police were not linking yesterday’s find to the pipe bomb parts discovered near the school on September 12.

The police and army operation is continuing.