School hit by hoax 'bomb threat' e-mail

The email, which was received today at a school in East Lancashire and another in Preston, alarmingly threatened to detonate a bomb unless its demand for thousands of dollars was met.

It is believed more than 400 schools and colleges across the UK received the email threat today, prompting many to evacuate students and staff.

A spokesman for Lancashire County Council confirmed no schools in Lancashire were evacuated. She said: "We haven't been made aware of any issues at any schools in Lancashire."

Police in Lancashire have confirmed that there is not thought to be any direct threat to schools.

Specialist officers are said to be working to determine the nature of the reports and are speaking directly with the schools and local authorities.

A police spokesman said: “I understand that this may cause concern and I want to assure people that we are working closely with all of the schools to ensure the safety of pupils and staff. “We are carrying out extensive enquiries to understand the full circumstances and although there is not currently believed to be any direct threat, as with any report of this nature, they are all being thoroughly investigated. “This is an on-going incident and we will provide updates as soon as we can.”