Readers have reacted to last night's a new ITV drama titled The Hunt for Raoul Moat which tells the story of one of the North East’s most infamous criminal cases will air on TV.

It’s been 13 years since former bouncer Raoul Moat from Newcastle went on a shooting spree in the region before going on the run for more than a week - sparking one of the biggest manhunts in British history.

He shot his ex-partner Samantha Stobbart, her new partner Christopher Brown and PC David Rathband all within 24 hours.

Shortly before the incident, Moat had been serving an 18-week prison sentence at HMP Durham for assaulting a nine-year-old family member.

Throughout the manhunt, sniper teams, 160 armed officers, helicopters, dogs and armoured anti-terrorist vehicles were all deployed during the chase to find Moat, ITV reports.

After being cornered and a six-hour standoff with the police in Rothbury, Northumberland, Moat died by suicide and was pronounced dead at the scene on July 10, 2010.

Following the first episode debuting last night, The Northern Echo readers have been reacting to the episode - with some calling it "a compelling show," while others called it "a difficult watch". 

Taking to the comments section of The Northern Echo, one person said: "Very good, however very sad," while another added: "It was good. Just incredibly sickening what this guy did," and another said: "I think it's horrendous that they've made this, imagine how the family of the police officer he killed feel!"