A 52-YEAR-old man is due to appear in court charged with possession of a firearm following a police operation carried out near a primary school.

The man has also been charged with a second firearms offence after two other men and two women were arrested and released on bail in connection with a Cleveland Police operation.

The arrests were carried out close to the Beech Grove Primary School, in the Grove Hill area of Middlesbrough.

Several police vans, a dog unit and firearms officers from Cleveland and Durham Specialist Operations Unit were all involved in operation on Monday morning.

A Cleveland Police spokeswoman said: “A 52-year-old man has been charged with possession of a firearm and a second firearms offence. He was due to appear in court this morning, Tuesday, March 21.

“The other four people arrested have been bailed pending further enquiries.”