THE centre of a village was sealed off yesterday for the second time in weeks, after police received reports that a gun had been fired.

Officers were called to the former pit village of South Moor, near Stanley, at noon yesterday, following a disturbance which left a woman needing hospital treatment.

Police said last night that they were hunting five people in connection with the assault, but added that there was no evidence to corroborate reports that a firearm had been discharged, and that no one had received gunshot wounds.

The middle section of Park Road, which runs through the village, was closed yesterday afternoon.

The scene was only yards from the section of the village sealed off in early May after a double shooting.

Yesterday, a 20-year-old woman from Lanchester was taken to the University Hospital of North Durham with a minor face injury, accompanied by a 30-year-old man from South Moor.

A police spokesman said: “We were responding to a report of an assault on a woman, who suffered a minor injury.

“We were initially told she had been slashed, but it may be that she fell over and banged her head.

It is unclear at this stage.

“We were told that a firearm had been discharged, but there is nothing to corroborate this.

“I would like to stress that no one has received gunshot wounds.”

A witness said: “At the bottom of the road there were police gathered at a house. It was taped off and obviously something had happened.

“The police said there had been an incident, but they would not say any more.

“The road was closed and it was causing the traffic to build up.”

Last month, two men were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a double shooting in the village. The shooting is not believed to be linked to yesterday’s incident.

Anthony Parkin, 26, of Bracken Close, Stanley, and 20-year-old David Railton, of Poplar Street, South Moor, surrendered themselves to police two days after the Bank Holiday Monday shooting.

Two local men, both in their 20s, were shot in the incident.

One underwent emergency surgery after being shot in the arm, but was himself later arrested on suspicion of violent disorder and released on police bail.

The second victim suffered a gunshot wound to the groin.