Police are responding to a security alert at Ebrington Square in Londonderry's Waterside following the discovery of a suspicious package on Tuesday afternoon. According to BBC News, the item was found at approximately 15:20 GMT. While no roads have been closed, officers have evacuated a nearby business premises as a precautionary measure.
The Peace Bridge, which links Ebrington to the city centre, remains accessible to traffic. A Halloween funfair operating at the site has continued without interruption, allowing visitors to proceed with their plans despite the ongoing police operation in the area.
Darren Guy, Ulster Unionist councillor for the Waterside, expressed concern about the disruption caused by the alert.
This is only causing disruption for the businesses affected and for the many young families who will be at Ebrington for the funfair,he told BBC News NI.
Whether this is a hoax or not, this is not what we should be talking about in a week when tens of thousands of people will be coming to the city for the Halloween festival.
The incident comes amid a pattern of security alerts across Northern Ireland. In July 2026, a security alert near Londonderry's Waterside train station ended after police found no threat following a vehicle search, while another alert at the same station had previously led to closures of the station and several roads. Such incidents have become recurring concerns for the region.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland stated that further details would be released as the situation develops.
