Police seize 'Tesco bomb blackmailer'
Last updated at 08:34 27 July 2007
Police have seized a man over the a plot to blackmail Tesco with bomb threats.
Unemployed Phillip McHugh, 51, of Clitheroe, Lancashire, was charged with two counts of blackmail and making bomb hoaxes and was due to appear in court today.
The threats on 14 July forced 14 Tescos to close across Britain, including one in Barnes, one in Hertfordshire, and one in Bury St Edmunds.
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It brought chaos to thousands of shoppers on one of the busiest weekends of the summer.
Supermarkets across the country received a series of bomb threat letters demanding huge sums of money.
The letter warned they would face "direct actionî if cash was not handed over.
Police ordered evacuations at every store where the letters were sent.
More demands were received the following Monday, but had been delayed in the post.
The threats sparked a major police investigation involving forces nationwide.
They came in the wake in the attempted terror bombings in Glasgow and London. But police have ruled out any link to extremists and today confirmed they believed it was a blackmail attempt.
Hertfordshire police said they arrested the man in Clitheroe on Monday.
A spokeswoman said: "No one else is being sought in relation to this offence."
McHugh was due to appear at Stevenage Magistrates' court today charged with two counts of blackmail and two counts of making bomb hoaxes.
The closures are thought to have cost the company more than £2million in lost sales.
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Hereford was one of those affected by the incident 
Hertfordshire police have charged a man with four offences after 14 Tesco supermarkets in the United Kingdom were closed after the company received threats. Stores across the country were affected by the security alert earlier this month.

The man has been named as Philip McHugh, aged 51, from Clitheroe, Lancashire, in the north-west of England. He has been charged with two charges of blackmail and two of making bomb hoaxes, and was due to appear at Stevenage Magistrates' Court this morning. 

Assistant Chief Constable Gary Kitching from Hertfordshire police said, "Throughout the whole inquiry public safety was of paramount importance to both ourselves and Tesco. The successful charging of Philip McHugh has come about through the hard work and tenacity of officers and police staff not only from Hertfordshire but from other forces, and we thank them for their support."

Tesco's Retail and Logistics Director, David Potts commented on the investigation, saying, "Throughout this series of events, the safety of the public and our staff was always our top priority and we worked closely with the police to respond quickly and responsibly. These were of course worrying threats and I am pleased that an individual has been arrested and charged."

"I would like to thank Hertfordshire Constabulary and the other agencies involved for their efficient handling of this investigation. I would also like to thank our staff who acted so professionally during the security threats to reassure customers and get stores back open as soon as possible. The response from customers was fantastic. They were so understanding about the disruption and I am extremely grateful for their patience and continued loyalty," Mr Potts said.

Police are not looking for anyone else in connection to the incident.