PSNI criticised over alert length

The bridge was closed for more than 24 hours over the weekend

Resident and traders in Londonderry have criticised the police over the length of time it took to clear a security alert on Craigavon Bridge.

The bridge was closed on Friday evening after hijackers put a number of items into a van and forced the driver to abandon it on the bridge's lower deck.

It was reopened to traffic late on Saturday evening with police describing it as a "sophisticated hoax".

City traders said they have lost tens of thousands of pounds in business.

Declan Gillespie, a hairdresser in the city, said most of his customers did not make it to the salon on Saturday.

"Normally on a Saturday we are booked out the door and you can't get a seat," he said.

"Because of the bomb scare, we have had cancellations. Everyone in retail knows Saturday is one of your busiest days.

"It's the day you make up a lot of your money for the week. We can't afford to be losing days because of something like this."

PSNI Area commander Chief Superintendent Stephen Martin said he shared the frustrations of residents and traders.

Whoever has done this is no friend of the city. The only people they are harming is the people of the city Jimmy Roddy, City Centre Initiative

"The very last thing the police wanted was to be involved in a security alert which took over 24 hours. Every incident has to be treated based on the circumstances that present themselves," he said.

"In this case it was on the lower deck of the bridge, in a confined area. We were concerned about the integrity of the bridge.

"At the same time, we had a device discovered in the Strabane PSNI station and that device turned out to be the real thing.

"You have this mix of real thing and hoax and that can be a very dangerous cocktail.

"Also on Friday there were a number of other hoax calls suggesting there were other bombs in Derry. So we were dealing with a variable and mixed situation."

Jim Roddy, manager of the City Centre Initiative, said the alert had had a "devastating impact" on traders.

"Whoever has done this is no friend of the city. The only people they are harming is the people of the city," he said.