Loo donuts: Man United security chiefs left with red faces as 50,000 evacuated over ‘bomb’ training prop taped to toilet door DUMMY device left behind after midweek exercise was mistaken for the real thing

Bomb scare ... police and dogs search Old Trafford while fans, players and management are evacuated for safety reasons

MANCHESTER United security chiefs were last night being blamed for an astonishing blunder which led to the evacuation of Old Trafford.
A fake bomb had been left in a toilet following an exercise to test their readiness against terror threats.
But the dummy device was mistaken as real by other staff who found it before yesterday’s Premier League match with Bournemouth.
Around 50,000 people were evacuated in unprecedented scenes amid fears of an IS or Real IRA attack.

No match ... members of staff wait outside the ground following a security alert and the subsequent match abandonment

Weekend ... Man United's Old Trafford Football Stadium was evacuated on Sunday afternoon before their match against Bournemouth

Disappointed ... fans stream out of the stadium with police blocking routes

And The Odogwu media communication can reveal that just weeks ago batteries were found taped to the bottom of United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward’s chair in an odd security breach.
Last night an internal inquiry was under way to establish who left the “bomb” behind.
A club source said: “This idiot’s in for a right kicking.”
It is understood the “bomb” was left by an external training company at the stadium in error.

An exercise is thought to have been held at the stadium last Wednesday. Somehow the device remained in place before the match, at which 76,000 fans were expected.
Last night Phil Townsend, Manchester United’s director of communications, said: “There was a dog training exercise at the stadium carried out by a third party security company this week.
“It is not the firm we regularly use for our day-to-day security and as per our statement this is quite clearly not the police’s fault.”

Search ... dogs are taken round seats

Nothing ... nothing was found to implicate an actual terrorist attack

Well-placed sources said a firm called Security Search Management and Solutions Ltd was hired for the exercise alongside United’s usual dog trainers Deacons Canines.
One said: “Deacons wanted to carry out an exercise and turned to the ­security company for help with providing fake devices.
“The security company provided the device so you would have thought they were the ones responsible for removing it. The club are furious about what’s happened.”
A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said: “A suspicious item found at Old Trafford, which required a controlled explosion to be carried out, has now been identified as a training device.”

Leaving ... Kai, Klay and Kit exit the stadium with their mother

Safety ... Rooney family leave Old Trafford

Yesterday was the first time a bomb alert has halted a Premier League game.
The alarm was raised at 2.40pm — just 20 minutes before kick-off.
Around 20,000 fans in The Stretford End and Sir Alex Ferguson Stand were evacuated first.
The kick-off time was put back to 3.45pm as players, including England captain Wayne Rooney, were kept in the dressing rooms. His wife Coleen was among Wags led away.

Out ... Manchester United's David De Gea and Ander Herrera leave Old Trafford

Vehicle exit ... Dutch manager Louis van Gaal waves as he is driven away

Players leave ... Memphis Depay leaves Old Trafford after the game is abandoned during the Barclays Premier League match

But the match was then called off as bomb disposal experts backed by sniffer dogs moved in.
Remaining fans, including the Bournemouth supporters, were asked to leave at 3.20pm as word began spreading on social media that a suspected bomb had been found.
Staff had discovered a mobile phone wired to a length of piping taped to the back of a toilet door close to an executive suite.
Ordnance experts carried out a close inspection followed by a controlled explosion at 4.45pm.
Mr Woodward said: “I’d like to thank the support from the police, which was first class, and the impeccable response from fans.
“The club takes security very seriously and staff are regularly trained with the police and emergency services to identify and deal with these incidents. We will investigate the incident to inform future actions and decisions.”
The drama came after the recent discovery of batteries attached to Woodward’s own seat in the ground.
It was initially thought to be part of a bugging plot but this theory — and a possible terror threat — were discounted after an internal probe.
A club source said: “It’s a mystery why they were there.”