POLICE are hunting those responsible for a bomb alert that led to part of a village being sealed off yesterday.

Police cordoned off an area around Front Street in Annfield Plain, near Stanley, County Durham, for several hours after the discovery of a package at the Coral Racing betting shop.

The alarm was raised when a customer found a note among betting slips at 2.30pm demanding money and stating that an explosive device had been left on the premises.

Roads surrounding the shop were closed while Army bomb disposal experts from Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, inspected the package and carried out a controlled explosion at about 6pm.

Helen Howdon, a stewardess at the neighbouring Demi social club, said: “We had about 30 customers on the premises when the girl from the bookmakers came running in and told us we all had to evacuate the building.

“She said a customer had found a note among the betting slips demanding money and with instructions of where to leave it.

“It threatened that a bomb had been left on the premises and that it would go off if the demands were not met.”

Chief Inspector Ian Butler, of Durham Police, who directed the operation at the scene, said: “A member of the public brought the attention of members of staff to a note left in the office.

“As a result of the contents of that note, a cursory search found what they described as a suspicious device, which was placed in one of the rooms. A police officer then inspected the device and because of its shape and diameter, considered it suspicious and some form of explosive device.”

Annfield Plain Junior and Infants schools were also warned of the situation and told that parents might be late arriving to collect children.

No houses were evacuated.

Chief Insp Butler said: “The device has been described as being an imitation device, so at this time it is being treated as a hoax.

“However, we are now conducting a full investigation.”

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 0845-60-60-365 or Crimestoppers on 0800-555-111.