Police had to deal with three security alerts in Lurgan and Holywood

THREE schools were closed in a series of bomb alerts across Northern Ireland

Ceara Special School and Carrick Primary School in Lurgan were closed following the discovery of a suspicious object.

A second alert closed Holywood Nursery School in County Down.

However, it ended after a suspect object found on Church Road was declared an elaborate hoax.

A number of homes were also evacuated during the alert in Lurgan.

Sloan Street has been reopened but the alert continues.

All roads in the Church Road area in Holywood have been reopened and residents have been allowed to return to their homes.

Army bomb disposal experts are still examining the suspicious object in Lurgan.

The principal of the special needs school in Lurgan, Dr Peter Cunningham, said the disruption had been “immense”.

“We were able to prevent the children coming to school because we have a texting service, so we were able to do that very quickly when the PSNI told us to close the school,” he said.

“But by that time our children had their uniforms on waiting in their houses all over the Lurgan, Craigavon and Portadown area.

“Our children just don’t understand – when they get their uniforms on, it’s time to go to school.

“When the bus doesn’t come our children, especially those who work under a very strict routine become very anxious, so we have lots of anxious children and equally anxious families.”