Residents return to homes after security alert in the Ballynahone Crescent area of Armagh - PSNI say items recovered have been taken away for further examination by Ammunition Technical Officers

In a statement the PSNI said that residents, who were evacuated for a number of hours, returned to their homes and roads have reopened.

Detective Inspector Handley said: “We would like to thank these residents and the wider community for their understanding as we carried out this public safety operation today.

“By way of update, items recovered from the area have been taken away for further examination after Ammunition Technical Officers (ATO) attended the scene.

“We have also received reports of a loud bang being heard in the area on Friday evening. We are keeping an open mind in terms of whether this was down to the partial collapse of a building in the area or something more sinister.

“Our enquiries into both the items recovered and the origins of this noise remain ongoing. I’d ask that anyone with information, which could assist our investigation or anyone who noticed anything suspicious in the wider Ballynahone Road area over the past week, contact us on 101 quoting reference number 658 30/01/24.”