A car bomb has exploded outside a courthouse in Northern Ireland following a call to police.

The explosive detonated on Bishop Street, Derry/Londonderry around 8.15pm today.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) issued a warning to members of the public on social media, asking them to stay away and added "suspected car bomb".

Nobody is thought to have been injured in the incident, which has been condemned by politicians.

The DUP politician Gary Midleton said that the incident was a "disgraceful act of terrorism" and added: "PSNI have confirmed there were no injuries in the serious incident at Bishop Street.

The party's leader, Arlene Foster, described the incident as a "pointless act of terror" that "must be condemned in the strongest terms. only hurts people of the city, perpetrated by people with no regard for life."

Sinn Féin MP Elisha McCallion also condemned the blast, and said: "This incident has shocked the local community.

“In particular, there are many elderly residents who live in the area who have been alarmed by this incident.

“Thankfully no one appears to have been injured in this incident.

“Derry is a city moving forward and no one wants this type of incident. It is not representative of the city.

“I would encourage anyone with information about this incident to bring it to the police.”

SDLP Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA)Mark H Durkan tweeted: "Whoever is responsible for this explosion outside Bishop Street Courthouse in Derry clearly hasn't got the message that the people of Derry DO NOT want this on our streets.

"We are trying to move Derry forward and will not let anyone drag us back to the dark days of the past."

Bollards are understood to have been installed on the street where the car detonated several years ago to deter vehicles from parking at the courthouse.

A number of homes and bars were evacuated before the explosion, which was reported to police shortly beforehand.

The car involved is understood to have been stolen earlier in the day.

Guests at the five-star Bishopsgate hotel were also forced to leave the building, with a second car also now causing suspicion.

Witnesses described hearing loud bangs and images from the scene show a wrecked car littering the road.

Fire fighters were unable to immediately access the scene due to safety concerns but said their main priority was to extinguish the blaze.

The PSNI have warned the public to avoid the area, and appealed for anyone with information to get in touch.