‘Nothing untoward’ found in alert

A call from a member of the public reporting suspicious activity in the area saw Army Technical Officers sealing off the area for a number of hours.

Elected representatives have spoken our about the hoax.

In a joint statement, Independent representatives David McClarty MLA and councillor Claire Sugden told The Times: “Thankfully the security alert on Sunday did not amount to anything, but it highlights a worrying fact that there are mindless individuals lurking in the shadows of our community intent on destroying lives.”

DUP MLA Adrian McQuillan pointed out that despite the fact that there was nothing found in the alert, it was ‘better for the police to be safe rather than sorry’.

He went on: “Thankfully nothing was found, but I would point out that there were a lot of people inconvenienced by this alert.

“I understand there were five carol services in the Garvagh area last night, and the closure of the main Garvagh Road saw diversions on to untreated country roads. ”