A SECURITY alert sparked by the discovery of historic "military-type grenades" in a Co Down village has ended.
Several homes in Balykinler were evacuated on Tuesday following the discovery of what was initially described as "suspected historic munitions" in the Commons Road area.
Nearby homes were evacuated while the village's Shore Road was also closed to motorists as the security operation continued.
The Ballykinler Community Centre was offered as temporary accommodation for those forced to leave their homes during the alert.
The alert ended on Tuesday evening, and a PSNI spokesperson said: "Residents have been allowed to return to their homes and the Shore Road has now reopened to motorists following a temporary closure.
“Ammunition technical officers attended the scene and safely removed and disposed of the historic munition, believed to be military-type grenades. We would like to thank the public, especially local residents, for their patience this evening."
Sinn Féin councillor for the Slieve Croob area, Jim Brennan, said: "I'm pleased that the agencies involved were able to resolve this relatively quickly, and that disruption for locals in the area was kept to a minimum, given the circumstances."
