A school head hit out today after 400 children were sent home because of a security alert at a Northern Ireland school.

Army explosives experts were called to St Comgall's Primary School in Antrim when eight-year-old pupil Brendan Shannon found what police have confirmed was a viable device and carried it into the classroom.

The children were immediately evacuated to a nearby church hall and then sent home.

Headteacher Hilary Cush said he was outraged.

He said: "It's absolutely crazy. It's unbelievable that innocent children should be caught up in something like this."

A second alert was under way at St Joseph's Primary School in Antrim.

A search of St Joseph's at Greystone Road began at about 1030 BST. Pupils, including a nursery section, were moved to a nearby parish hall.

PSNI Chief Inspector Simon Walls area commander for the district has condemned those responsible for the alerts.

"I cannot express enough my disgust at the cowards involved in these alerts today.

"To target the general public is never acceptable by any means but to take away the secure feelings of innocent children and to put them at risk like this is beyond despicable.

"It is by sheer good fortune that we are not dealing with a severely injured child right now."