Altnagelvin Traffic Chaos

The emergency services have been put to an 'acid test' today as traffic in the Altnagelvin area of Londonderry has been brought to a standstill after a tanker containing sulphuric acid overturned. All approach roads to the Altnagelvin roundabout - near the city's hospital - are closed and police have advised motorists to find alternative routes and avoid the area if possible.

Orde Meets Board

The PSNI Chief Constable faces the NI Policing Board today for the first time since claiming some of its members had started acting tribally. Sir Hugh Orde made the observations about some of the Board's political representatives at a public relations event in Dublin last month. However, a PSNI spokeswoman later said his remarks had to be viewed in the context of a speech that had also been highly complimentary of the Board's work. The top cop will also face questions about the recent Police Ombudsman's report that found that RUC officers failed to properly investigate the murder of a police officer gunned down by the IRA 20 years ago.

'Youse Have A Minute To Get Out!'

A drunk Ulster civil servant, who said he was a Muslim with a bomb on London's Tube, has been jailed for 12 months. The Northern Ireland-born Ministry of Justice official George McFaul had to be protected from angry commuters after the hoax. The 43-year-old told passengers they had just one minute to live before his rucksack device detonated. McFaul, of Turner Road, Walthamstow, east London, had pleaded guilty to communicating false information. "It is going to go off in 60 seconds," he was said to have repeated.

Foyle Body Find

A body has been found in the River Foyle. It was discovered by a member of the public cose to Timber Quay in Londonderry shortly before 1pm on Tuesday. The police, working with Foyle Search and Rescue, recovered the body a short time later. Officers are yet to say whether the body is male or female, or release any other details.

Five Questioned Over 'Deception'

Five people are being questioned in County Fermanagh in connection with financial deception. The four women and a man were arrested in the Irvinestown area on Tuesday, police said. Last week, two men were remanded in custody in relation to deceptions alleged to have had victims in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and England.

Porn Man Admits Guilt

A man who has admitted 50 charges of downloading indecent images of children is now awaiting sentence in Maghaberry prison. James Speers, 41, will be sentenced in June. He appeared this week at Belfast Crown Court where he admitted downloading photographs and videos of children between 21 January and 28 May last year. The prosecution told the court that the 50 charges were 'specimen' charges and that there were 54,000 images.

(BMcC)