A 38-YEAR-OLD man has been arrested after a couple were tied up during an early morning raid on their home.

At about 12.15am on Tuesday morning, a man, armed with what is believed to be a meat cleaver, smashed the downstairs window of the house in Durham Road, Bishop Auckland, to gain entry.

The house was occupied by a woman in her 50s, a man in his 60s and their teenage children.

The suspect tied up the couple before leaving the house with a number of items, including a quantity of cash, Barbour jackets, and several pairs of Barbour shoes, plus the couple’s Audi A1 car.

The Northern Echo:

An Audi A1, like the one stolen

The car was seen leaving in the direction of Bishop Auckland Market Place.

A short time later, the Audi was found abandoned following a collision near to the Bertie clothing store on Durham Road, in the town centre.

There had been an attempted break-in at the store and the front window was smashed, which officers believe may be linked to the burglary on Durham Road.

A spokeswoman for Durham Police said on Wednesday morning: "The 38-year-old local man was arrested late last night and is currently being interviewed by detectives."

Speaking on Tuesday, Detective Inspector Paul Phillips, of Durham Police, said of the incident: “This was an extremely distressing incident for the victims who have been left shaken but thankfully uninjured.

“I am keen to hear from anyone who was in either the Durham Road or Market Place areas of Bishop Auckland in the early hours of this morning and may have seen something that could help our investigation.

“I would also like to hear from anyone who may have information on the whereabouts of the stolen items.”

He added: “Thankfully, incidents of this nature are extremely rare in our force area and I would like to reassure everyone that we are doing all that we can to trace the individual responsible as quickly as possible.”

  • Anyone with information is asked to call Durham Police on 101, quoting incident reference 5 of September 27, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800-555-111.