Bomb 'a terror warning'

The latest bomb to explode in London - the fifth device to be planted in the capital since the end of the ceasefire - was a "warning shot" by the IRA, police and security sources believe.

But the Prime Minister said that the bomb, which was detonated on Wednesday night in the front garden of an empty house, would not be allowed to derail the Ulster peace process.

Most of the cordons around the bomb site were lifted yesterday but a small area near the damaged house, in an exclusive neighbourhood in west London, continued to be searched by anti-terrorist officers. The Boltons is inhabited by the rich and famous. Residents include Liz Hurley, the model, and supermarket baron John Sainsbury and his wife Anya, Lord and Lady Sainsbury of Preston Candover.

Little damage was caused by the small bomb, although nearby windows were shattered by the blast.

The police believe the device was a warning by the IRA to show that they were still capable of hitting targets in London despite losing one of their bombers, Edward O'Brien, who blew himself up on a London bus in February.