AN armed siege which brought a normally quiet North-East village to a standstill ended last night when a man surrendered to police.

Police firearms officers had surrounded the house in Blackhouse, near Stanley, County Durham, for almost 24 hours.

A man, who claimed to have a shotgun, had barricaded himself in the house at about 10.30pm on Monday. Three neighbours were advised by police to stay in their homes as the row of six houses was sealed off.

But at about 9.20pm last night, a 38-year-old man was arrested when he surrendered to police outside the house.

The man was taken to Durham City police station, where he will be interviewed later this morning.

Nobody else was in the house, although it was not clear last night whether any weapons had been recovered from the building.

The siege began in the village when an ambulance was called to a terraced house in Hall Buildings.

A man, who appeared to have cut himself on the right arm, confronted them with a large knife before retreating inside the building.

The man, who was thought to have drunk a quantity of cider, made no demands during the overnight siege.

Chief inspector Jamie McAloon apologised for the inconvenience caused to traffic, including a popular bus route, being diverted from the area, but said it had been a necessity.