FOUR people have been questioned by police following a chase across two counties that ended with the pursued car doing continuous circuits of a County Durham field.

Witnesses said the pursuit had ended in a Keystone Kops-style chase with the Fiesta driving round and round a muddy field with no prospect of escape.

The chase lasted more than three hours and at the height of the drama about 40 people gathered to watch.

Bemused police called in a helicopter to keep watch on the fleeing car.

Three men, aged 20, 24 and 30, and a 44-year-old woman, were arrested and later held at Hartlepool police station after Wednesday night's high-speed chase from Stockton, Teesside, to Coxhoe, near Durham City.

Three of them were released yesterday afternoon, leaving the 24-year-old man to face further police questions.

The pursuit began when police tried to stop the Fiesta in Stockton, Teesside.

Police followed on a 20-mile chase through Fishburn, Trimdon and finally Coxhoe, where the car ended by doing several laps of a farmer's field as residents looked on.

Carol Pearson, 36, was one of dozens of spectators who watched the car circle the field as police stood by.

She said: "My partner was driving through the village with our two young daughters when he saw the car speeding up behind him.

"He had to pull to one side - he thought he was going to be rammed. The Fiesta sped past, followed by countless police cars."

About 30 officers, including dog teams and armed police, surrounded the field and, as night fell, a police helicopter and spotter plane were called in to watch the field.

Three hours after the chase began, the driver used his mobile phone to contact police to say he was wanted to give himself up.

When the car stopped, a three-year-old girl got out with the adults and was taken home.

Insp Michael Henson, of Durham Police, said: "There was not a lot we could do in this situation. The vehicle was failing to stop for some time and we would rather exercise caution than go in heavy-handedly."