It is normally one of Northern Ireland's busiest roads, but yesterday Belfast’s Westlink was completely deserted while Army bomb disposal experts examined three suspicious objects.

The motorway was closed in both directions after the PSNI received a telephone bomb warning.

The devices — later declared hoaxes — were discovered in a police search and then examined by the Army, causing hours of traffic chaos.

Sinn Fein west Belfast MLA Fra McCann condemned those responsible for the hoax alert.

“Calling in a bomb warning which closed a major arterial route into Belfast has served only one purpose, the disruption of life for people coming to and from Belfast, and shutting a main access point to Belfast's two main hospitals,” he said.

Alliance south Belfast MLA Anna Lo added: “I am disgusted at these mindless thugs behind this campaign.”