A MAN and a woman were arrested by armed police after a disturbance at a County Durham home.

Officers were called shortly early on Wednesday morning to a property in Eden Close, Coundon, following reports that a man was brandishing a knife.

The caller said the man was threatening to harm himself.

Durham Police said after long negotiations the incident was brought to a safe conclusion.

A spokesman for the force said: "Armed officers were deployed in the early hours of this morning following a call shortly before 1am from a house in Eden Close, Coundon, reporting that a man in the property was threatening to harm himself.

"A woman, aged 30, was arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly and a 28-year-old man on suspicion of affray.

"The woman was taken to Darlington police station and the man to custody in Durham."

In a separate incident, armed police were called to an address in Burnhope Road, Murton, near Seaham, at about 5.50pm on Tuesday to reports of a man threatening to harm himself.

He was also brandishing a knife, police said.

After negotiations, the man left the property of his own accord.

A 34-year-old man was arrested and remained in police custody on Wednesday evening.

Both incidents were dealt with by armed response officers from Durham Constabulary's road policing unit.

The unit tweeted on Wednesday morning: "Busy night 4 team C. 2 firearms deployments in a row and armed officers been on containment for 10 hours! #ProtectingPeople #TeamC #CoffeeNeeded."