Derry bomb alerts paralyse city

A police station has been evacuated and a bridge closed in a series of bomb alerts across Derry city this morning. The centre of Northern Ireland's second city has been paralysed following three separate bomb alerts, two of them in Strand Road near Derry's main police station. A spokesman for the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said a white van that had been hijacked was left outside the Strand Road police station, which was evacuated as a precaution. Roads were closed between Lawrence Hill and Asylum Road. Meanwhile an area around Bishop Street courthouse was cordoned off after claims a bomb had been left in the area. Army bomb disposal officers are being sent to both incidents. Motorists have been asked to avoid the areas, while the Northwest Regional college said its Northland Road building and Strand Road sites would be closed. Students were advised not to arrive for class. The disruption will be blamed on the Real IRA, which has a strong and growing presence in Derry.