Police hunt for the Grand bomb hoaxer

POLICE say nothing was found when the Grand hotel was evacuated and searched after an anonymous phone call said there was a bomb in the building.

The search of the Grand Hotel in Brighton ended at 9.15pm on Sunday evening without anything suspicious being found, and staff and guests began to re-enter the hotel.

At 4:30pm, after the phone call was received, Hotel management decided to evacuate the hotel, a decision supported by the police, and the hotel was swiftly and safely evacuated.

Thorough searches took place with the assistance of specially trained police search advisers, local officers, police dogs, and military ordnance disposal experts, in order to establish as soon as possible whether or not the call was a genuine one.

The Brighton Centre – where the Trades Union Congress (TUC) are holding their annual conference this week – was also evacuated although it was not at threat according to the police spokesman. The union’s general secretary Frances O’Grady and Dave Prentis, general secretary of Unison, are both attending the event in Brighton today. Labour’s Shadow chancellor John McDonnell and Unite leader Len McCluskey are also in the city.

Chief Superintendent Lisa Bell said; “It was important that this report was thoroughly looked into, and we are grateful for the patience and understanding of staff, guests, and people using the nearby car parks, whose afternoon and evening was disrupted. “A comprehensive criminal investigation is underway to trace the person responsible for the call. We are not disclosing any details of the call, but certain lines of enquiry are being actively followed.”