ARMED police swooped yesterday after gunshots were fired during a horse fair on the outskirts of a North-East village.

About 150 officers were involved in what was described as one of the largest spontaneous operations in County Durham for several years.

The drama unfolded in the early hours at the annual Seagrave Horse Fair, in west Durham.

Up to 5,000 people are estimated to have attended the event, which started last Thursday and is held on private land at Checker Leazes, between Evenwood and West Auckland.

Police received several 999 calls from people reporting that shots had been fired.

Shortly after 2.30am, armed and unarmed officers carried out a containment of the area and searched the site. No firearms were recovered, but four men, aged between 21 and 53, were arrested on suspicion of firearms offences.

They were being held for questioning last night at police stations in Darlington, Newton Aycliffe and Peterlee.

One of the men arrested had suffered minor facial injuries, but not from a firearm.

Community Inspector Ian Butler, from Bishop Auckland police, said officers had been deployed from all over County Durham, with assistance from Cleveland and Northumbria Police.

He said: "There was a policing contingency in place for the event, but the scale of the incident which took place and the severity and seriousness of that incident necessitated resources from elsewhere.

"We needed them firstly for the containment of the scene and secondly to ensure that people's lives were not put in danger. That was of prime importance to ourselves."

Officers spent all day yesterday at the site, searching for evidence and supervising the dispersal of people who had been staying there.

Insp Butler said: "What we need to do is secure evidence in relation to alleged offences that have taken place.

"That resulted in a significant containment of the area, which has taken up a lot of police resources."

Traditionally held on the weekend before the famous Appleby fair, in Cumbria, the Seagrave fair is due to end today.

In previous years ,the event has caused major problems on roads leading to Bishop Auckland, with up to 90 horse and traps riding out in a procession.

Before this year's event, police had been liaising with the organisers over issues including public safety, parking on West Auckland green, security and licensing hours, and had agreed a different route for the ride.

Insp Butler said members of the travelling community and the organisers of the fair had been co-operating with police throughout the operation.

He said: "The members of the travelling community are assisting ourselves significantly.

"They should really be praised for their patience because we've put them through a very long and slow process of checking all persons coming off the site.

"We're trying to obtain a full understanding of what took place in the early hours.

"We're got scenes-of-crime officers at the site, and there is evidence to suggest that shots were fired from firearms.

"This is a very uncommon event. The discharge of firearms is very rare in County Durham, but we take it seriously and we are there to ensure the safety of the public in the Bishop Auckland area."

Anybody with information about the shooting is asked to contact Bishop Auckland police on (01388) 603566, or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.