A THREAT was made to set off a bomb unless a large sum of cash was handed over.

An anonymous hand-delivered letter was taken to Barclay’s bank, in King Street, Whalley, shortly after 10am on Friday, carrying the demands.

Police discovered the note was a hoax and a 65-year-old man from Clitheroe has been arrested on suspicion of blackmail.

A police spokesman said: “The letter threatened that a bomb would be set off somewhere in Lancashire unless a significant sum of cash was dropped off in a bag at a location nearby.”