BOMB disposal experts carried out a controlled explosion on a suspicious item discovered inside Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium.

AFC Bournemouth’s final scheduled Barclays Premier League fixture of the season against United was called off, after the security alert in the stadium's north-west quadrant.

Greater Manchester Police announced in a statement on Twitter: "A controlled explosion has just been carried out within the stadium by bomb disposal experts at Old Trafford."

The Stretford End and Sir Alex Ferguson Stand were evacuated at around 2.40pm this afternoon after an announcement was made for security personnel to invoke 'operation red code', and shortly after 3.15pm those remaining in the ground were informed the game was off.

A bomb disposal unit van was seen arriving at the stadium shortly before 4pm. The 75,000-capacity stadium was around half-full at the time of the initial announcement.

That means final match of the Premier League season for both teams will have to be played at a later date.

A Premier League source revealed it will be a "logistical challenge" to organise.

United are busy next Saturday when they face Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final, after which many of their players will disperse for international duty ahead of Euro 2016.

A statement from the Premier League read: "The decision to abandon the Manchester United versus AFC Bournemouth match was taken after the police advised of the necessity to deal with a suspect package.

"When it comes to matters of security it is obviously right that Manchester United and the Premier League place the safety of supporters and employees foremost.

"The Premier League will seek to rearrange the fixture as soon as practically possible and will advise fans accordingly. It is always the last resort to abandon one of our fixtures and while we apologise for the inconvenience we are sure, in the circumstances, they will appreciate the need to do so."

The nature of the disposal could affect the ability of Old Trafford to host the match, which is a situation that is being assessed by the Premier League.

Manchester United had earlier stated: "Due to the discovery of a suspect package in the north-west quadrant of the ground, the match has been abandoned for today on police advice."

Before the controlled explosion took place, Greater Manchester Police assistant chief constable John O'Hare justified the abandonment by saying in a statement: "We don't make these decisions lightly and we have done this to ensure the safety of all those attending."