A TEENAGER will be interviewed by police this afternoon after being found with a knife at school.

Police officers attended the Peterlee secondary school on Monday after the 15-year-old girl was found to have the knife on her.

A spokeswoman for Durham Constabulary confirmed officers spoke to both the child and her parents and the student will be interviewed by officers and "dealt with by the youth offending team accordingly".

She said: "Incidents of this nature in our area are extremely rare.

"Officers will be attending local schools in the area this morning to provide reassurance and to explain the dangers and potential consequences of carrying a knife, and that it is a criminal offence to carry one.

"Durham Constabulary are supporting Operation Sceptre which is a national operation aimed at tackling knife related incidents. We have a week’s education planned within schools and community engagement/education around carrying knives, the consequences and crime prevention advice."

If anyone has information about knife crime call Durham Constabulary on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800-555111.