A MAN who fled an open prison was forced at gunpoint from his van as armed police swooped on a busy North-East street yesterday.

The force helicopter and nine cars were used to stop the man at Northgate, in Darlington, at 4pm.

The incident is caught on mobile phone.

Police suspected the man may have firearms in his vehicle and armed police were called in to assist with recapturing the absconder.

A spokesman for Durham police said: "We received intelligence suggesting a prisoner who had absconded from HMP Moorland in Doncaster was in the Darlington area and driving a red van.

"The vehicle was located and followed through a number of locations including Parkside, Victoria Road, Polam Hall School, St Cuthbert's Road and St Cuthbert's Way on the inner ring road.

"It was then stopped shortly before 4pm by Gladstone Street and the driver, a 39-year-old Darlington man, was arrested.

"After being initially held at the police station he was transferred back into the care of the prison service."

An eyewitness said: "Nine police vehicles forced a red van to stop on Northgate, Darlington outside the council premises with armed response team leaping out and forcing the male driver out of his van.

"The driver was put in a police van and taken away - his van was still parked on the pavement on Northgate."

The S-reg Vauxhall van was guarded by two patrol cars until it was removed later yesterday afternoon.

The windscreen appeared to have been cracked.

The man is believed to have been released on temporary license earlier this year and had failed to return.

It is not yet known why he had been imprisoned.