Two bombs explode at home

The blast damaged the window of the house

A Catholic home in north Belfast has been targeted by pipe bombers.

Three pipe bombs were thrown into the back yard of the house in Newington Street shortly after 2200 BST on Monday.

Two devices exploded while another was later made safe by the army after it failed to go off.

No-one was injured but a number of windows were broken.

The attack was condemned by the MP for the area, Nigel Dodds, who said it would only serve to heighten tensions and increase fears in the entire community in north Belfast.

Sinn Fein councillor Gerard Brophy accused loyalists from across a sectarian interface of attacking Catholic homes.

"This came from Tiger's Bay, there's nowhere else it could have been thrown from," he said.

"This has been going on for the last year and it's been intensified over the last six to eight weeks."

Summer

Meanwhile, the security forces have also found eight pipe bombs on the Upper Hightown Road in the north of the city.

A number of component parts and a handgun were recovered following the discovery in Cavehill Country Park.

Sectarian tensions in north Belfast and surrounding areas have been high since the summer.

In recent months both Catholic and Protestant homes have been attacked.

The tensions also spilled over into sporadic outbreaks of rioting and street clashes in recent weeks.