RESIDENTS HAD TO leave their homes in an area of Ballymun in the early hours of this morning as the army bomb squad made an explosive device safe.

The improvised explosive device (IED) was discovered in the Belclare area of Ballymun and the Defence Forces deployed the team in response to a request from the gardaí.

The suspect device was spotted near a vehicle parked outside a private residence.

The team arrived on scene at 1.10am and examined the device, while the gardaí put a cordon in place and evacuated some nearby houses for public safety.

The team leader used a controlled explosion to make the viable device safe.

The scene was declared safe at 3.30am. The remains of the device have been handed over to the gardaí as part of their investigation into the incident.