Bomb defused near primary school

Army bomb disposal experts today defused a small improvised bomb near a mainly-Protestant primary school in the heart of Ian Paisley’s constituency.

The device was discovered by school maintenance staff in a hedge at Harryville Primary School in Ballymena, Co Antrim shortly after 9am.

The school and a number of adjacent houses were evacuated and the device was eventually made safe around 10.30am.

Last month, the school was evacuated and pupils taken to a nearby park as British army bomb disposal experts defused three viable pipe bombs near the school.

However, police were today not linking today’s find with the September 12 bomb find.