Homes evacuated after bomb find

Around 100 homes were evacuated in Northern Ireland today after a pipe bomb was found on a footpath.

The device was discovered near waste ground in the centre of Derry, scene of sectarian disturbances in recent weeks.

Residents in the predominantly nationalist Abercorn Road area were moved to Salvation Army and St John’s Ambulance centres in the city when the alarm was raised following an anonymous telephone call at 3.30am.

The device was defused by Army bomb disposal experts and taken away forfurther examination.

The incident appeared to be the latest in a series in the area bordering the loyalist Fountain district.