Londonderry: Chris Heaton-Harris leaves match after hoax alert

The hoax object was found at Celtic Court (left) - the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium can be seen on the right

Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris had to leave a football match at at stadium in Londonderry on Friday night due to a security alert caused by an elaborate hoax.

Mr Heaton-Harris was attending a Derry City match along with Irish President Michael D Higgins and about 4,000 fans.

A suspicious object was found at Celtic Court near the stadium at about 20:30 GMT.

The Northern Ireland secretary left about 20 minutes before the game ended.

Later, an announcement was made over the public address system at the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium that there was an "ongoing incident" near the ground, with the Lone Moor Road outside the stadium closed from the Brandywell roundabout.

Fans were asked to go another direction when leaving the stadium.

The match was otherwise unaffected, with Derry City beating Shamrock Rovers 2-0 to win the President's Cup.

In a statement overnight, police said army bomb experts had declared the object a hoax.

The match was unaffected by the alert, with Derry City beating Shamrock Rovers 2-0

"I want to thank the local community, in particular those who were directly affected, for their cooperation and assistance as we worked to keep people safe," said PSNI Supt William Calderwood.

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood, who also attended the match, said it was a good thing the secretary of state visited the Brandywell and that it was a "very good evening enjoyed by thousands of fans".

"Shockingly people think that's a good time to do these kinds of things, to basically attack their own people.

"They've got no support at all in their community and they won't stop the people of Derry enjoying a game of football, or anything else."

Sinn Féin assembly member Pádraig Delargy said: "No-one wants to see this type of disruption, especially on a cold winter night."

DUP assembly member Gary Middleton condemned those responsible for the alert and said there was "no place in our society for those who seek to use violence, threat, or intimidation".

A Northern Ireland Office spokesperson said: "We do not comment on security matters."