Device declared an 'elaborate hoax'

The alert ended at around 10pm after eight hours of disruption in Londonderry.

Both tiers of Craigavon Bridge were sealed off around lunch time on Thursday causing massive traffic chaos throughout Londonderry.

Army Technical Officers carried out a controlled explosion on the device at around 5pm.

The device appears to have been the size of a lunch box, wrapped in black tape, had a working clock attached to it and a red light at the top of it.

It was attached to the bridge by magnets close to a gas pipe that runs beneath Craigavon Bridge.

PSNI Acting Chief Inspector John Burrows said: "The people who caused the disruption yesterday are the selfish people of the city. They are small in number and they don't care about the families or young people in the city. They are selfish individuals.

"They know that there are only two ways out of the city-the Foyle Bridge and the Craigavon Bridge. This has been done many times before and when they put these things on Craigavon Bridge they know its causing massive disruption and they don't care."