ARMED response officers were called out after a man was reported to be in possession of a knife in a busy shopping area.

A 45-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of robbery following the incident at the Tees Bay Retail Park, on Brenda Road, in Hartlepool on Saturday.

Police were called at around 2.45pm by retail staff who reported the man was in possession of a knife and had left the scene in a vehicle.

Numerous police officers, the police helicopter, armed response unit and other response teams searched the area and found the man at an address on Seaton Lane in the town.

No one was injured during the incident and the man arrested was facing questioning over the weekend.