The parents of a two-year-old boy were arrested today on suspicion of his murder.

Mitchell Bate was found dead at his home in Rodney Street, Hartlepool, Cleveland on September 16 this year.

Detective Chief Inspector Gordon Lang said the arrests of a woman aged 23 and a 33-year-old man followed results of detailed forensic tests.

The force would not confirm that the two arrested people were the boy's parents.

A force spokesman said: "The couple are being held at Hartlepool Police Station and are helping police with their inquiries."