London - Police in Northern Ireland said Thursday they found components of a "very large bomb" on farmland in the southern county of Fermanagh near the border with the Republic of Ireland.

The parts, which included 50 kilograms of fertilizer, could have caused deaths, serious injury and widespread damage, police said.

"Had these elements exploded, members of the public would have lost their lives," said chief inspector Alwyn Barton.

The discovery followed a recent warning from a small pro-Republican dissident group that bombs had been abandoned near rural roads in the area.

"This is a very very strong example of how this small group of people are quite prepared to place very serious, very dangerous elements such as this close to property where people live," said Barton.

In early March, dissident groups opposed to the peace process ended a 10-year lull in terrorist activity when they killed two British soldiers and a police officer in the province within 48 hours.

The incidents triggered protests and widespread popular revulsion in Northern Ireland, where the majority back a peace agreement sealed in 1998.(dpa)