THE bomb scare which brought Blackburn town centre to a standstill yesterday was "an elaborate hoax" said police.

Hundreds of people were evacuated from their places of work after a suspicious package was found in the BT telephone exchange on Jubilee Street.

Traffic was diverted and the railway station sealed off while bomb squad officers from Liverpool investigated.

Acting Detective Chief Inspector Mick Gradwell said someone had telephoned BT at about 11.30am, claiming to be from a terrorist organisation. The call was made from the north of England, but from outside Lancashire.

A search of the telephone exchange building uncovered a suspicious package. "There was specific detail in the call which meant it had to be taken seriously. As a result of that the area was evacuated and a cordon was put on which diverted traffic away from the town centre," he said.

"With the assistance of the bomb squad we established that the package was innocent."

The area was declared safe shortly after 2pm. Mr Gradwell said he regretted that so much disruption had been caused by the incident but said the cordon was necessary to ensure the safety of the public.

"It was investigated as quickly and as professionally as we could," he said.

An investigation into the source of the call has been launched.

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