Police in standoff with man locked in loft

Wednesday's standoff happened at a property on Auckland Terrace, Shildon

Police were involved in a standoff lasting more than five hours involving a man who had barricaded himself inside the loft of a house in County Durham.

The incident began at about 15:00 GMT on Wednesday at a property on Auckland Terrace in Shildon.

Durham Constabulary said there were concerns the man may have been carrying a knife.

The standoff ended at about 20:30GMT, with a 28-year-old man arrested on suspicion of aggravated burglary and making threats to commit damage or destroy property.

A spokesperson for the force said a "containment" was put in place around the house and trained negotiators were called to the scene.

The spokesperson added: "The man has surrendered to police and arrested on suspicion of several offences.

"He is being taken to custody where he'll be interviewed by officers.

"We'd like to thank residents for their patience and cooperation while we worked to bring the incident to a safe conclusion."