A County Durham school was forced to go into lockdown and parents were informed of the situation after a pupil threatened a staff member with a plank of wood.

Durham Police were called to Framwellgate School in Durham City at about 10am on Tuesday (October 10) following reports of a threat made by a pupil of the school.

It is alleged that the pupil involved fled the school premises after threatening the staff member and the school had lockdown procedures in place until police officers arrived.

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The incident at the school sparked concern among parents and the local community - while it is understood that some pupils were allowed to go home for the day if their parents allowed it.

No injuries were reported for either the pupil or staff member at the school, while Durham Police confirmed that enquiries were still ongoing into the incident. 

The Northern Echo: The outside of Framwellgate SchoolThe outside of Framwellgate School (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

A Durham Police spokesperson said: "We attended an incident at Framwellgate School, in Durham City, at about 10am this morning.

"It involved one pupil who is believed to have threatened a member of staff with a piece of wood before leaving the school premises.

"No-one is believed to have been injured. Enquiries are ongoing."

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Framwellgate School also added that rumours circulating on social media during the incident about an 'intruder' that had guns was "categorically untrue".

A spokesperson for Framwellgate School said: "An incident took place on our school site today which necessitated activating lockdown procedures. Police attended and the lockdown procedures were subsequently lifted.

"The rumours circulating on social media about intruders and guns are categorically untrue. The threat to students was minimal but we followed our safety procedures and the issue has now been resolved."