A security alert in east Belfast has ended.

Inspector McCrum said: “Police received a report just before 10.25am that a claim had been made to an elected representative that a number of devices had been left in the vicinity of playing fields in the Church Road area of the city. 

“Two nearby roads were closed and premises, including a nursery and a school which was hosting a summer scheme, were evacuated.

"A thorough search of the area has been conducted and, thankfully, nothing untoward has been found.

“We would like to thank the public for their patience and cooperation as searches were carried out. 

"We appreciate this has caused considerable inconvenience, particularly to the children and their parents, but public safety is our priority. 

“Our enquiries into the origin of the claim remain ongoing. Anyone with information which could assist with our investigation is asked to contact police on 101 quoting reference number 456 of 05/08/24 .” 

A report can be submitted online using the non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/ or you can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/