A HOAXER brought chaos to a busy town centre when he planted an elaborate fake bomb in a supermarket.
Police sealed off roads leading to Accrington town centre and an army bomb disposal squad was called in when a mystery package was discovered in the building.
Today police were studying town centre camera film to try and spot the hoaxer who phoned a bomb warning from a public call box.
Bomb disposal experts used a robot-type machine to get close to the package before destroying it in a controlled explosion.
Accrington was full of shoppers stocking up after the bank holiday break when the drama started shortly before 2pm yesterday.
A customer spotted the suspected bomb on the shelves of the Kwik Save store in Union Street.
Supermarket manager Tim Stringer ordered his staff to evacuate the store and carried the small, tape-covered package into the loading bay before contacting the police. Minutes later the police received the hoax call from a public phone box in Broadway. The caller spoke with a local accent and did not use any recognised IRA codewords.
Police immediately sealed off the area and called in the force's helicopter to monitor the traffic flow.
Tailbacks built up on most roads as motorists were diverted away from the town centre. Roadblocks were set up on Union Street, Eastgate, King Street and Edgar Street.
Extra police, including the support team from Great Harwood and special constables, were called in to keep people away from the area.
A large crowd built up as most of the Arndale centre was evacuated and workers were told to close shops surrounding the Union Street area.
Car parks were also closed and shoppers were forced to wait several hours before they were allowed to return to their vehicles.
Chief Inspector McEwan Downie said: "The bomb disposal squad carried out a controlled explosion and destroyed the device.
"We discovered the whole thing was a hoax but obviously we had to take all the necessary precautions."
He added: "Whoever did this caused a lot of unnecessary disruption and inconvenience for shoppers and businesses in Accrington.
"We would welcome any information which might lead us to the person responsible for placing the device."
Anyone with any information can contact Accrington police on 01254 382141.
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