THE BOMB hoaxer who brought Accrington town centre to a standstill was today attacked by a police chief.

Detective inspector Jim Oldcorn said: "Whoever did this did not just act on the spur of the moment but carried out an elaborate and deliberate hoax.

"What this person did was not only foolish but was also completely irresponsible.

"The hoaxer managed to completely disrupt Accrington town centre for almost four hours and a lot of traders must still be counting the cost.

"Traders were forced to shut their shops and the whole of the town centre was in chaos because of this stupid act."

Forensic scientists have been called in to examine the remains of the fake bomb and police also plan to examine footage from the town centre's closed circuit television for clues to the identity of the hoaxer.

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