FIVE men have been arrested after a man died during a pub disturbance.

Police launched a murder inquiry after a 31-year-old man died following an incident inside the Prince Edward pub in South Shields last night.

Officers were called to the bar in Prince Edward Road at 11pm to deal with a disturbance.

A man was found unconscious and was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Police this morning confirmed that the man's death is being treated as murder.

Five men - aged 58, 33, 31, 30, 26 - have been arrested in connection with the incident and are currently in police custody.

Chief Inspector Jerry Pearson, of Northumbria Police, said: "We are carrying out enquiries to establish what led to this man's death and ensure those believed to be responsible are held accountable for their actions.

“Officers quickly attended and arrests were made.

"We recognise the local community will be concerned that this has happened in their area and I would like to offer them reassurance that we extra officers on patrol, officers are there for local residents to speak to them and make them feel reassured that everyone is being done to ensure they feel safe."

Anyone who was in the Prince Edward and has not yet spoken to police is asked to contact Northumbria Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.