A HOAX bomb threat at a Colchester train station was condemned by a judge who remanded the woman responsible into custody.

Michelle Sparrow admitted calling police to tell them she had primed explosives ready to blow up Colchester North Station when she appeared at court.

Sparrow, 41, was due to be sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court on Friday but sentencing was adjourned for mental health reports.

Peter Clark, prosecuting, told the court Sparrow, of Seaview Avenue, Basildon, called Essex Police at 3.30pm on Tuesday, April 26.

He said: "Using her own mobile phone she called 999 and told the operator she had placed a bomb in the lavatories at Colchester railway station.

"She went into details explaining the bomb saying it was a mixture of gunpowder and fuses and a medium size.

"She gave full details of herself, her clothing and her location and she waited."

Despite the threat no announcement was made to passengers at the station and there was no evacuation.

Police arrived and she was arrested.

She later admitted she had made it up.

Mr Clark added: "This is not the first time the defendant has engaged in a false account."

Sparrow has seven previous convictions for bomb hoaxes and was previously jailed for two years on one of the occasions.

Richard Conley, mitigating, told the court Ms Sparrow has mental health difficulties.

Judge Christopher Ball QC postponed sentencing her to get an expert report.

Judge Ball QC said: "The issue is whether she has to be locked up to stop being a nuisance, although on this occasion there was minimal disruption to the public, or whether there is a psychiatric disposal."

Turning to Sparrow he said: "You are a problem and you don't appear to realise how big a problem you are.

"You run the risk of creating very serious problems for the public.

"It could well be a store, a bus station, an elderly woman hearing there is a bomb alert, and it frightening the life out of someone like that.

"You seem to think it is all ok.

"It is not.

"This could well lead to you being sent to prison for a long time."

Sentencing will now take place in July.

The Gazette asked those who run the station and the police what security measures or actions were put in place following a bomb threat being made and whether the threat should have led to an evacuation.

A spokesman for the British Transport Police said: "There was no evacuation of the station.

“A search was carried out but there was no need for a full evacuation.”