A man has arersted in Middlesbrough after failing to remove a face covering.

Dispersal orders have been in place in towns across the region in a bid stem any further violence after riots in the last week.

Police in Middlesbrough executed powers under special dispersal orders tonight asking a man to remove a face covering on Park Lane at about 5pm.

Police said they asked the man to remove the covering but he refused and was arrested. Upon searching him, officers found him to be in possession of drugs and an offensive weapon.

A section 60AA authority under the Criminal and Public Order Act 1994, gives police the power to remove any item from a person that they reasonably believe is being used to conceal their identity within the designated area.

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Anyone who refuses to comply will be arrested and could be jailed for up to a month or fined up to £1,000.

A dispersal order is also in place, giving police the power to direct a person who has committed or is likely to commit antisocial behaviour, to leave the specified area and not return for 48 hours.