LONDON, March 21: The police on Thursday issued an Easter terrorist bomb alert for London, warning that an attack was “overdue”.

In particular, they warned of the threat of booby trap bombs hidden in innocent-looking items apparently discarded or left lying in the street.

The police say that the main threat is from the Real IRA a dissident group.

They pointed to recent bombs in Northern Ireland, one of which was in a traffic cone and one in what looked like an Army-issue water bottle.

Assistant Commissioner of the Police David Veness said: “We would appeal to people to be alert to the possibility of a range of attacks.’’