POLICE say that a security alert which caused a number of homes to be evacuated in west Belfast has now ended.

It began after the discovery of a suspicious object at around 10 pm on Tuesday in south Belfast.

Residents were moved to a nearby leisure centre during the alert.

Police said “nothing untoward was found” during searches and the alert ended at around 4 am this morning.

It is the second alert in 24 hours in the area.

A small viable bomb was found on the Andersonstown Road on Tuesday,