ARMED police staked out a council headquarters after a member of staff allegedly threatened bosses on his last day.

Earlier, the 59-year-old man had sent an emotional e-mail around all 600 staff at Wear Valley District Council, in County Durham.

Police called to the Civic Centre in Crook market place late on Wednesday afternoon were told the man had forced his way into the office of chief executive Iain Phillips and had later been involved in an argument with colleagues in a pub.

Response teams, some of them armed, watched the front and back of the centre believing he may have been inside and could have had access to weapons.

He was eventually arrested at his home in the Derwentside area late on Wednesday night, and after questioning yesterday was released on police bail pending further inquiries.

The man is understood to have been working his last day at the council after negotiating a redundancy package.

A police spokesman said yesterday: "We received a call alleging that an employee of Wear Valley District Council had made threats towards staff.

"Due to the nature of the comments which were made police set up a containment operation around the council building using authorised firearms officers.

"Once it was established that the man was no longer in the area, the police operation moved to Derwentside where later that evening a 59-year-old man was arrested at his home address on suspicion of making threats to kill."

Mr Phillips said: "It was a very difficult situation. All of our responses were measured.

"We have a management responsibility to ensure that all of our staff are treated with respect in the workplace and we try to take that duty seriously."