More than 400 homes have been evacuated in Newtownards, County Down, following the discovery of a suspected historic piece of munition.
The artefact, thought to be a Second World War unexploded bomb, was found at a building site at the Rivenwood housing development in Movilla Road on Friday, according to local reports.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland began the evacuation yesterday (18 August).
Ards and North Down district commander superintendent Johnston McDowell said: “In excess of 400 homes have been affected by this [public safety] operation. This is a significant number of properties, and we thank residents for their patience and understanding.
“I would like to state that if homeowners or residents have not been spoken to directly by police, or received information in relation to this matter, it’s unlikely that they will be impacted by the clearance operation at this time.
“It is anticipated at this stage that the operation will continue for a number of days. A police cordon is in place and motorists are advised to continue to avoid the area.”
