A SECURITY guard made hoax calls saying department stores would be blown up and then joined in the search for bombs, a court was told yesterday.

Ian David Hood, 36, of Bell Avenue, York, admitted making two false calls last October, telling people that bombs would explode in the Boyes store in Scarborough and York, if animal-related products were not removed from the shelves.

Nicholas Barker, prosecuting, told York Crown Court that Hood gave a code-word and both stores stopped people entering while searches were made for devices.

"Hood was a security guard working on contract and was himself on duty at the Market Street, Scarborough, branch of Boyes. He was actually involved in the search looking for bombs," said Mr Barker.

But the court heard that Hood became agitated after managers decided to take a gamble and not evacuate their shops or close down.

Mr Barker said the accused was caught on CCTV footage leaving the shop in Scarborough and going to a nearby phone box in Market Street from where he made an emergency call to police.

John Devlin, for Hood, who was jailed for a year, said his client had no real excuse and knew custody was inevitable.