GREATER Manchester’s Mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner has called for an enquiry into yesterday’s events at Old Trafford after branding it ‘outrageous’ and a ‘fiasco’.

The game between Manchester United and Bournemouth was called off on Sunday May 15 after the item was discovered close to kick-off.

Staff alerted police to a suspicious item found in the toilets between the North West Quadrant, between the Sir Alex Ferguson stand and the Stretford End, and the Old Trafford stadium was evacuated.

After investigation, it emerged that the security alert was as a result of a training device accidentally being left in the stadium by a private company.

Greater Manchester’s Mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd said: “It is outrageous this situation arose and a full inquiry is required to urgently find out how this happened, why it happened and who will be held accountable.

“This fiasco caused massive inconvenience to supporters who had come from far and wide to watch the match, wasted the time of huge numbers of police officers and the army's bomb squad, and unnecessarily put people in danger, as evacuating tens of thousands of people from a football stadium is not without risk.

“Whilst this in no way demeans the professionalism of the police and stewards responsible for getting the fans out, or the supporters' calmness and cooperation during the evacuation, it is unacceptable that it happened in the first place.”