Manchester United appoint full-time counter-terrorism manager

Manchester United and Bournemouth fans were evacuated from Old Trafford last season

Manchester United say they are the first sports club in England to appoint a full-time counter-terrorism manager.

The post has been filled by a former inspector from Greater Manchester Police's specialist search unit.

The appointment, revealed at a recent club forum, comes amid significant additional security measures introduced at Old Trafford on matchdays.

Vehicles are now routinely checked as they enter car parks, and supporters are searched at turnstiles.

United's Premier League game against Bournemouth in May was postponed when the stadium was evacuated after what turned out to be a fake bomb was found in a toilet.

It had been left behind in error following an exercise earlier in the week.

In November, two supporters on a stadium tour hid in an Old Trafford toilet in the hope of seeing United's Premier League game against Arsenal. They were eventually found and handed over to police.

Last year, security expert Baroness Ruth Henig called for licensing laws to be changed to force entertainment venues around the UK to undergo counter-terror training.