HOMES had to be evacuated after a bomb was discovered in a vehicle in Meath in the early hours of the morning.

The army bomb squad arrived at the scene in the Brews Hill area of Navan at around 3am.

Families were evacuated from nearby homes for around five hours until the scene was made safe at 8.25am.

The device has been taken away for further examination.

“Early this morning, following a request from An Garda Síochána, an Army Bomb Disposal Team removed an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) from a vehicle in Brews Hill, Navan, Co. Meath,” a Defence Forces spokesman said.

“The Army Bomb Disposal Team arrived on scene at 3.20am and to ensure public safety a cordon was put in place and nearby houses were evacuated for the duration of the operation.

"A viable IED was discovered in a vehicle, made safe and removed for further investigation by technicians. The scene was declared safe at 8.25am and the team departed the scene,” he added.

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