THE COMPONENT PARTS of a bomb were picked up by a child in Newry, police in Northern Ireland have said.

A suspicious object found in the Violet Hill Avenue area on Sunday led to a 24-hour security alert and a number of homes were evacuated.

The alert ended this afternoon.

The PSNI said that army bomb disposal experts carried out a controlled explosion on what are believed to have been the component parts for an explosive device and a number of items were taken away for forensic examination.

Superintendent Jane Humphries said: “We believe these to be component parts of an explosive device. When such items are left in a public area they can be innocently handled by anyone and on this occasion it was picked up by a child.”

“I appreciate the disruption this has caused, however, when it comes to keeping people safe we do not take chances. I can only reinforce to everyone that if you see anything suspicious please do not lift it or approach it,” she added. 

She appealed for anyone with information to contact police on 101.