Detectives are analysing a recording of a hoax telephone call that triggered a major bomb alert in Burnley. The anonymous caller claimed there was a device in the phone booth he was using, leading to a police operation involving armed officers and army bomb disposal experts.
The call was made at approximately 9:30pm on Monday to Burnley police. The caller hung up, and officers traced the call to a public phone in Grey Street, Daneshouse. Armed police were dispatched and discovered a small black plastic box with wires protruding from it.
The surrounding area was cordoned off, and residents were advised to stay indoors while army bomb disposal experts carried out a controlled explosion. Subsequent tests confirmed that no explosives were involved, and the device was deemed a hoax.
Crime scene investigators searched the area and examined the phone for fingerprints. Detectives are now studying a recording of the call to identify the caller. The phone box is located in a residential area of terraced homes, adjacent to an electricity sub-station.
A local resident, who wished to remain anonymous, expressed concern, stating, 'It is frightening to think there may have been a bomb so close.' A police spokesman confirmed the hoax, saying, 'A call was made to Burnley police by a man saying there was a bomb in the phone box. The call was traced and officers deployed. A controlled explosion was later carried out and no explosives were found. It was a hoax.'
