THE POLICE SERVICE of Northern Ireland has said that an object discovered in Magherafelt in County Derry last night – which forced a number of nearby homes to be evacuated – was a ‘viable device’.

UTV reports that the device – which was left directly outside one home, in the Sandy Braes area of the town – is the suspected work of the Real IRA.

The device was made safe overnight, it adds, and residents have been allowed to return to their homes.

The planned attack was condemned by local Assembly member, the DUP’s Ian McCrea, who said he was “utterly disgusted by this mindless action.

“The thugs responsible for this incident are fighting for nothing and they do not have the support of the community – in fact, the opposite is the case,” said McCrea, who is also a member of the

PSNI detectives are anxious to speak with anyone who may have seen suspicious behaviour to contact them.

In unrelated incidents, suspicious devices were found in the Springfield Road area in West Belfast, and in Loopland Gardens on the east of the city, but both were found to be hoaxes.