An imitation firearm has sparked a security alert in Londonderry.

The Whitehouse Road area was closed off on Monday evening following reports of a suspicious object in a bag.

It is understood the object was an imitation firearm.

The security alert ended on Tuesday afternoon.

Detective Inspector Clara Heaton said an operation was put in place to ensure the safety of everyone in the area.

“The object was examined in daylight hours today (Tuesday) by ATO (ammunition technical officers) and has now been taken for further examination,” she said.

“I would like to thank the local community for their patience whilst the operation was ongoing and apologise for any inconvenience experienced, however the safety of the public and of the attending police officers is of the utmost importance and we will never take chances with people’s safety.”