Pupils safe as nail bomb destroys a teacher's car outside school

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Police said it was pure luck that no one was harmed by the device, which may have been timed to detonate as pupils and staff were leaving school or home.

Officers were last night investigating the possibility that it was planted by a disgruntled pupil or former pupil at the fee-paying Runnymede St Edward's infant and junior school in Liverpool.

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'Pure luck': Nobody was injured in the explosion timed to go off as pupils and staff were leaving the school

The car was only 30ft away from the school building when the bomb went off at 2.50pm, shattering all the vehicle's windows.

The officer in charge of the investigating the incident, Superintendent Ian Pilling said: "This was a despicable offence. Children were in the process of leaving, nobody was killed or injured, but that was down to good luck."

A police source said the device was a nail bomb and caused significant damage to the car but did not destroy it.

The source added: "It was obviously quite a powerful bang but it did not completely wreck the vehicle, though anyone inside could have been seriously hurt or even killed.

"Obviously there is a full forensic investigation going on to determine what type of explosive was used and in what quantities, but we are also trying to preserve evidence that may lead us to the culprit."

Another detective added: "We're keeping an open mind on this because it could easily have been someone with an axe to grind.

"Pupils and staff will be questioned about a possible link between this and anything that may have occurred at the school."

The £6,000-a-year Roman Catholic independent school - which has 200 pupils aged 3 to 11 - is connected to the senior school St Edward's College.

Pupils were evacuated to another part of the building while the emergency services dealt with the incident.