Residents of a Hartlepool street said that they heard "loud bangs" early this morning after police swarmed a property in an ongoing incident. 

Overnight, an incident on Elwick Road, Hartlepool, escalated as a man walked onto the roof of a house, brandishing a knife. 

Residents then reported that "loud bangs" and "flashes" came from the home when the man climbed back through the loft window.  

Follow our live blog for more details here. 

The Northern Echo: New images fro the Elwick Road incident.

Yesterday (Tuesday, March 19), armed police, fire rescue services, and ambulance were all in attendance at the house. 

Eyewitnesses at the scene have described seeing police with riot shields entering the property at about 9.30am. 

Yesterday, a Cleveland Fire Brigade spokesperson said: "Cleveland Fire Brigade are currently in attendance at an incident on Elwick Road, Hartlepool. One fire engine from Hartlepool is on protective standby whilst police deal with the ongoing incident. Please avoid the area."

The Northern Echo:

A North East Ambulance Spokesperson said: “We received a call at 10.32am this morning (Tuesday 19 March) to reports of an incident at a private address on Elwick Road in Hartlepool.

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"We dispatched two ambulance crews, a specialist paramedic, a duty officer, and two crews from our Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) to the scene.

The Northern Echo:

"We are currently still on-scene providing support to our emergency services colleagues."

Cleveland Police have been contacted for more information.