Stands at Old Trafford evacuated after 'code red' warning announced because of suspect package in the ground

Old Trafford Code Red evacuation sparked by mobile phone wired to pipes in toilets was 'elaborate HOAX': Final match of season is abandoned moments before kickoff after suspect package found

Match was postponed for 45 minutes later abandoned the game sending away thousands of fans
Police and sniffer dogs are in the Manchester ground, which has capacity for 76,000 people, investigating the cause
Bomb experts were called to the stadium and carried out an controlled explosion after the match was called off.

The dramatic evacuation of Old Trafford sparked when a mobile phone connected to wiring was found abandoned in a toilet during Manchester United's final-day clash with Bournemouth this afternoon was the result of an 'elaborate hoax', it is understood.

The Premier League game was originally scheduled to kick-off at 3pm but was hastily pushed back to 3.45pm and later cancelled altogether when officials discovered a device consisting of a mobile phone and piping in a toilet cubicle.

Bomb disposal experts were called in to examine the device and fans were told to stay away from the 76,000-seater stadium while detectives and sniffer dogs investigated the scene and a controlled explosion was carried out on the suspect package.

Sportsmail now understands that the results of the controlled explosion point towards the device being an elaborate hoax and police are expected to launch a wide-ranging investigation to find the culprit.

Source: Dailymail