POLICE were called out to their own Christmas Party, The Northern Echo can reveal.

One report suggested that three cars and the dog section were called to the Cleveland Police function at the Staincliffe Hotel, Seaton Carew, near Hartlepool on Thursday night.

However, the incident was described as a “verbal disagreement”

between partygoers and it is not thought there was any violence involved.

Jennifer Taylor, a manager at the hotel, said the hotel staff had not been aware of any problem and had not called the police.

She said: “I wasn’t the duty manager that night but I know it wasn’t us who actually called the police.

“I’m told it was a member of the police party who called after a verbal disagreement between themselves.

“What I do know, which was really quite annoying, is that we had a problem with eight men who smashed up the toilet the week before and we did call the police and they sent one officer on his own.

“On Thursday night, there’s some disagreement and no ructions but they send three cars including the dog section.”

The hotel operations manager, who did not give his name, stressed there was not a problem from the hotel’s point of view and the whole incident boiled down to “a misunderstanding”.

A spokeswoman for Cleveland Police said: “Police were called but were unable to substantiate any complaint and there is no on-going investigation.”