Lancashire police say 40-year-old was arrested after falsely claiming a van full of explosives was on its way to airport

A 40-year-old man has been charged over a hoax bomb threat made to Stansted airport, police said on Saturday.

Lancashire police said a call was made warning that a van was on its way to the Essex airport with explosives on board on Friday morning.

Paul Jackson, 40, of Infirmary Street, Blackburn, Lancashire, is due to appear at Blackburn magistrates court on Saturday charged with communicating false information.

A police spokesman said: "Jackson was arrested by Lancashire police at an address in Infirmary Street, Blackburn, Friday morning, after hoax calls were made to a police force falsely stating that a van was on its way to Stansted airport with explosives on board."

A second man, also aged 40 and from Blackburn, was arrested on Friday in connection with the offence. He has now been released without charge.