Residents evacuated from homes late last night after 'a suspicious object had been left on the window sill of a house in the area'

A report was received shortly before 11.30pm on Wednesday night, that a suspicious object had been left on the window sill of a house in the area.

Officers attended the scene and closed Glencairn Street and several nearby streets.

A number of residents were also evacuated from their homes.

Ammunition Technical Officers (ATO) were called to examine the object which was later declared an elaborate hoax.

All roads were re-opened and residents permitted back to their homes at around 4am.

The object was taken from the scene and will be forensically examined.Inspector David McBride said: “We would like to thank all those affected by this incident for their patience and understanding as our officers worked to ensure their safety.

"This was a totally irresponsible act which brought widespread disruption to the area.

"An investigation into the incident is underway and I would appeal to anyone with any information which could assist with our investigation to contact officers at Tennent Street, on the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference number 2066 19/07/23.

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