POLICE were last night continuing the hunt for the hoax caller whose bomb threat sparked the evacuation of thousands of fans from a football stadium.

The friendly between Darlington and Middlesbrough, at the Quakers' Williamson Motors Stadium, was cut short because of the malicious call to police.

The call came just before half-time in Saturday's testimonial match for former Darlington defender Craig Liddle, who said he was "sick and saddened" by the hoax.

Fans awaiting the second half were stunned to hear a tannoy announcement, confirming the game would not restart and asking them to leave the ground.

Police said they received a call at 3.38pm from a man suggesting there was a bomb inside the ground.

Senior officers told club staff they believed there was a credible danger and the joint decision was taken to evacuate the arena.

Police and stewards searched the ground, but found no evidence of a device.

The security alert caused traffic mayhem on the nearby A66 as fans and players poured out of the stadium.

Police said yesterday that the call had been traced to a phonebox in McMullen Road, Darlington.

Inspector Alan Watson, of Darlington police, said yesterday: "We're still making inquiries to find out who has made this phone call. We're knocking on doors and we'd like to catch whoever has done this."

It is the second time this month that Darlington has witnessed a security scare. Much of the town centre was sealed off on July 13 after two separate alerts.