The Daily Record 13th October 2004;


A TV company sparked a bomb alert when they posted a pedometer to Tony Blair.

Tyne Tees Television sent the Prime Minister and other MPs the gadget, used to measure how far you have walked, as part of a fitness programme.

The devices were sent to their home addresses, including Blair's house, Myrobella, in Trimdon, County Durham.

As the unmarked parcel was put through the X-ray machine used to scan all Blair's post, staff were horrified to see an image of a battery and a ticking clock face.

The bomb squad were called in from Catterick, Yorkshire, to deal with what staff thought could be a terrorist explosive device.

A police spokesman said: 'After taking a look using their specialist equipment, they found the device was nothing more than a pedometer.

'They had been sent to the Prime Minister and other north- east MPs by a senior executive at Tyne Tees Television in a well-meaning bid to promote ITV's Britain On The Move campaign.'

Tyne Tees bosses were told that while Blair appreciated the sentiments, the next time they decided to send such a gift to the Prime Minister it was advisable to inform the police first.

A spokeswoman for Newcastle-based Tyne Tees said: 'We were advised that in Westminster there was a lot of interest shown in the campaign,so we sent a pedometer to all of our local MPs.

'It was during the summer recess so they went to the constituency addresses. We did get a call from Durham police asking to confirm that we had sent it.'

Experts believe adding extra steps to your daily total has many health benefits.