POLICE have arrested two more men following a bank robbery that led to an armed stand-off.

Police marksmen surrounded a house on the Croft Estate at Ryton, near Gateshead, on Friday after the raid on the Lloyds TSB bank in Station Road, Newburn.

Residents were ordered to stay indoors as about 30 officers attended the scene.

Two men and a woman were arrested and remained in custody last night.

Over the weekend, police arrested another two men who were helping with inquiries.

Detectives have also appealed for anyone with information about the robbery to come forward.

They particularly want to hear from anyone who saw people acting suspiciously outside the bank before the raid at 12.10pm on Friday.

They also hope someone saw the get-away car - a blue Audi A4 - being abandoned in Summerhill, Stargate, shortly after the robbery.

The car was stolen from Gateshead last month.

Three masked men, one of whom was carrying a sawn-off shotgun, went into the bank after cutting telephone and alarm wires. They made off with an undisclosed amount of cash and escaped in the car.

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 0191-214 6555, extension 62957.