Thirty families were evacuated from their homes in Sligo town as a result of a hoax bomb alert.
The alert kept people living near the Garda station out of their homes for more than two hours on Wednesday night. It began around 6 p.m. when a driver crossing a bridge with one-way traffic made a U-turn and drove against the oncoming vehicles before abandoning the Northern-registered car.
Supt John Fitzgerald said the car was removed soon afterwards and taken to the Garda compound close to the barracks. Some hours later, at about 8.30 p.m., the Garda station received a telephone call saying a car containing a bomb had been left at the bridge.
An Army bomb disposal team was called in, and people were evacuated from about 30 houses. By 11 p.m. it was established that there was no bomb in the car, and people were allowed to return to their homes.
Supt Fitzgerald praised the co-operation of local people who had helped with Garda inquiries.