Second blast in Londonderry: Controlled explosion carried out by ATO

A police spokesperson said: “ATO have carried out a controlled explosion on the hijacked vehicle in the Circular Road area of Derry/Londonderry.

“A number of homes remain evacuated and the cordons are still in place whilst our investigation continues

“We continue to ask the public for their patience, and thank them for their co-operation while we work to make both areas safe.”

Two security alerts have been ongoing in Londonderry today.

Earlier, PSNI Superintendent Gordon McCalmont had said: “Just before 1:45pm this afternoon, we received a report a delivery driver’s vehicle had been hijacked on Southway by four masked men, one of them who is reported to have had a gun. The two occupants in the van were ordered to drive the vehicle to the Lonemoor Road and leave it there.

“We are in the process of implementing a public safety operation, establishing cordons and evacuating a number of homes.

“Sadly, within two hours today, we are dealing with a second security alert in the City, which means even more disruption for the local community.

“I know this second security alert and the measures we are taking to keep people safe will cause significant inconvenience for the local community, but we have no choice.

“I want to ask the public for their patience, and thank them for their co-operation while we work to make the scene safe.”

The controlled explosion follows a car bomb attack outside the court house on Bishop Street near the city centre on Saturday.