Red alert at Sir Alex 'poison'

SIR Alex Ferguson was at the centre of a “poison” alert yesterday after he was sent a mystery substance through the post.

Three people were taken to hospital for precautionary tests after one found granules in the packet addressed to the Manchester United boss.

It also contained a chilling note to legendary manager Sir Alex which read: “You stupid old b*****d — why have you opened this?”

Police were last night stepping up the hunt for the sender.

The package arrived yesterday at United’s training HQ in Carrington, Greater Manchester.

Sir Alex and the team had left earlier in the day to fly to Italy where tonight they play AC Milan in the semi-final of the Champions League.

The package was opened by a member of Carrington staff who raised the alarm.

Specialist cops and firefighters rushed to the complex.

They sealed off the immediate area before shutting down the entire facility.

The worried workers were sent to hospital for checks and the mysterious substance was taken away for testing.

But it later emerged that it was NOT dangerous and that no-one has suffered any ill-health through handling the package.

Last night a source at the Old Trafford club said: “Sir Alex has never been sent anything like this before. He gets stacks of mail, most of it complimentary and some of it just rants from rival fans.

“But this is obviously something to be taken much more seriously.

“We still don’t know exactly what these granules were and we’re just relieved no one has come to any harm.”

A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said: “We were called to the training ground following reports of a suspicious package.

“The package was opened by a member of staff and an unidentified substance was discovered.

“Police and Fire Service officers attended the address as a part of a pre-planned operation.”

He added: “Tests were carried out on the substance in an effort to establish its nature. Officers are also investigating the origins of the package and our inquiries are continuing.”

Police later confirmed the mystery substance was not harmful — but vowed to catch the offender behind the prank.

A police source said: “It could have been toxic — then we’d have been dealing with a very different situation.

“But this has still taken up a lot of police time and was being treated seriously.

“We are still investigating the origins of the package.

“We are determined to catch the culprit.”

A Manchester United spokesman said last night: “We are referring all inquiries to the police.

“It’s just fortunate that the substance turned out not to be dangerous.”