A police officer has escaped injury in a pipe bomb attack on his car in east Belfast.

The officer was at home at 0030 BST on Saturday when he heard a loud explosion.

Army bomb experts were called to the scene and a daylight examination revealed a sophisticated explosive device had been left under the car.

Police investigating the incident have refused to speculate about who was behind the attack but said they were following a number of lines of inquiry.

They have appealed for anyone who noticed anything suspicious in the Upper Newtownards Road area around the time of the attack to contact them.