Parents whose children were caught up in one of the five security alerts in the Gobnascale area in Derry’s Waterside have vented their anger at those responsible.
Four of the alerts – which began shortly after midnight – have been declared “elaborate hoaxes” while the fifth, in the Hollymount Park area, is still ongoing.
In each of the incidents, British army bomb disposal experts were called to deal with suspect devices and dozens of residents were evacuated from their homes in the Strabane Old Road and Mimosa Court areas.
One of the alerts took place close to a children’s playschool.
Parents, turning up to collect their children, were forced to take another route as result their access being cordoned off by police.
One parent said: “Some people are saying those responsible are ‘playing a game’ with the police. But this is no game. These people are deliberating targeting and putting pressure on local people.”
Local Sinn Fein Councillor Bridget Meehan also condemned those responsible, claiming residents were living in fear.
She said: “They are frustrated and angry. They are living in fear not knowing if these alerts are real or not.”
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