Army disposal unit makes safe five pipe bombs found in field

Five pipe bombs found in a field in Co Clare have been made safe by the army bomb disposal unit.

The team, based at Collins Barracks in Cork, attended the scene near Tulla after gardaí discovered the viable improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

One local man said: “We’ve had awful problems with people dumping rubbish over the ditches down here. The council even put up a sign warning people not to dump. You’d never expect anyone to dump a bomb though.”

It is understood gardaí received information late on Wednesday that the pipe bombs had been left in a ditch on the side of the road at Derrymore West, about 300m from the main R462 Tulla to Kilkishen road.

Gardaí from Killaloe went to the scene, found the devices, and immediately closed the road. The area was sealed off pending the arrival of the bomb squad at 11.30am yesterday.

Bomb disposal personnel deployed a remote controlled robot to investigate the devices. Shortly before 2pm, team members disarmed the devices and removed them from the scene.

No controlled explosion was required and the devices were handed over to gardaí who remove them for a technical examination.

A Garda spokesman confirmed: “The EOD team made the devices safe and no controlled explosion was needed. We are satisfied these were pipe bombs and we have carried out further searches of the area. Our investigation is ongoing.”

A Defence Forces spokesman confirmed: “An army bomb disposal team rendered safe five IEDs which were found in an isolated location near Tulla, Co Clare.

“The team examined the devices in location and rendered them safe. They were technically examined and handed over to the gardaí for further investigation.”

House-to-house inquiries were also made in the area in an effort to establish whether anyone saw anything suspicious.

One local man said: “There was a Garda car there this morning around 6 and I going to work and I was told I’d have to around by the bog road. They didn’t say what was wrong but I heard later they found a bomb.”

It was the fourth time this year the army has dealt with viable IEDs. The army’s bomb squads have attended 15 calls so far in 2012.