Security alert in County Londonderry declared a hoax

Pacemaker a police car is parked behind a cordon and in front of a road sign showing directions to Claudy, Dungiven, Belfast, Londonderry and Dungiven. In the backgorund is a second police car and a number of wind turbines can be seen atop hills in the distancePacemaker
Police said a number of homes have been evacuated

A security alert which caused a number of homes to be evacuated in County Londonderry has ended and been declared a hoax.

It began when a suspect object was found on the Gulf Road in Killaloo at about 11:20 BST on Thursday.

A small number of homes were evacuated and access in or out of the area was restricted. The Gulf Road, which was closed at its junction with the A6, has now reopened.

Police have appealed for anyone with information to come forward.