Police at scene after explosion in North Belfast
A security alert has been declared following an explosion in a house in North Belfast in the early hours of this morning.
Police are at the scene on Stanhope Street, close to the junction of Clifton Street and Carrick Hill on the edge of the city centre near large recently built student accommodation centres.
A PSNI spokesperson said cordons are in place and a number of local residents are being evacuated.
Members of the public, including motorists, are asked to avoid the area at this time. Updates will follow, added the spokesperson.
As of shortly before 11am, police had sealed off around half of Stanhope Street, though the hub of activity seemed to be on Antrim Street, which runs off Stanhope to the south.
There, two armoured vehicles could be seen behind cordons as officers worked to tackle the ongoing security alert. Regular police cars were standing watch at both ends of the sealed area.