A FORMER psychiatric patient who held a family friend hostage was arrested after a four-hour siege in the region yesterday.

The 36-year-old woman, who was a recent patient of St Luke's Hospital, Middlesbrough, brought a residential street to a standstill when she held the man at knifepoint.

She eventually released her hostage, and was arrested after officers sprayed CS gas into her face and wrestled her to the ground.

The drama unfolded in Park Lane, Middlesbrough, at about 8.45pm on Monday, when police received reports of a woman holding a man hostage with a knife. Officers sealed off the row of terrace houses and brought in trained police negotiators.

After the four-hour stand-off was brought to an end, police searched the woman's house.

No officers were hurt but the woman was taken to Middlesbrough General Hospital for treatment to a scalp wound.

Detective Superintendent Dave Lumb, of Cleveland Police, said yesterday: "Our intention was to bring this incident to a peaceful conclusion, with no injuries, in as speedy a time as possible.

"People living in the Park Lane area of Middlesbrough were no doubt inconvenienced by the whole incident, so we thank them for their patience and consideration."

The woman was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and was being questioned at Middlesbrough police station yesterday.