Pipe bomb left at child's playhouse

The woman hand delivered one of the devices to the police station last week and had another placed beside her child's play house the following day.

Two devices were left in the Dean's Walk home on Wednesday and Thursday.

Three children were in the home when the second device was left at the house. The youngest child was only seven months old.

On Thursday the area was cordoned-off for most of the afternoon as army bomb experts examined the device - it was later described as 'viable'.

The mother said: "On Wednesday morning I thought some children had left a firework or something at the front door.

"I put it in the back garden not thinking it was anything dangerous.

"What with all the recent bother lately it started to play on my mind that it could have been something so I took it to the police station."

The next day the woman saw another device in her garden, beside her child's play house, the police said it was similar to the one left the previous day.

The woman continued: "I knew straight away what it was, it had wires sticking out of it so I called the police straight away."

The woman said she thought there could be a sectarian motive behind the devices being left at her home, "but it could by my paranoia," she added.

"I am a Catholic and have lived in the area for almost 20 years, all my children have grown up in this house, I keep myself to myself and have never had any problems.

"But I do have Protestant friends, but that should be no reason for me to be singled out.

"I am totally distraught and disgusted just thinking about this, it has left me paranoid that someone could be after me.

"There was a 16-month-old child playing in the garden and my seven month old daughter in the house at the time.

"There are lots of children in the area and I don't want to think about what could have happened if one of the devices exploded."

She went on: "The police let me see an x-ray of the device and it was all nails and like shot gun pellets inside - it could have caused real harm.

"I would appeal to those people responsible to just leave me alone and think of the children and their safety.

"I have to think of the safety of my children, but I own my home and have lived here in peace for nearly 20 years."