A man has been arrested after a stand-off with police lasted several hours.

Officers responded to reports of concerns for a man at a house in Fence Houses, near Houghton-le-Spring, at around 12.30am on Friday morning.

Firearms officers were called as a precaution as police spent several hours speaking to the man.

He was arrested at the scene on suspicion of malicious communications and taken into custody.

The Northern Echo: A road closure was in place in Fence HousesA road closure was in place in Fence Houses (Image: AA)

Read more: Road closed in County Durham village as police respond to incident

A road closure was put in place between the junction of Lumley New Road, at Woodstone Village and the war memorial on Morton Crescent. The road was reopened just before 8am.

A statement from Durham police added: “Officers would like to thank members of the public for their patience while they brought the incident to a safe conclusion.”

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