ARMED police laid siege to a house for more than four hours, before bursting through the door - and finding a dog.

The operation was mounted after claims that a gunman had made threats to kill a villager during a dispute.

Durham police's tactical firearms unit, backed up by the force dog section, the police helicopter and about 20 uniformed officers, moved into the village of Grange Villa, at around 10am last Thursday, surrounded a terrace house in West Street and cordoned off the area, ordering residents to stay indoors.

After a tense stand-off lasting more than four hours, police chiefs gave the order and armed officers moved in.

A force spokeswoman said: "At around 2.30pm, police searched the building and found there was nobody inside, except a dog in one of the rooms, so the operation was scaled down."

She said the operation was necessary as part of investigations into a suspected firearms incident.

"There was an incident in a neighbouring village on Wednesday and we thought the person involved might be in that house," she said.

A man and a 26-year-old woman were arrested in the Grange Villa area last Wednesday, on suspicion of making threats to kill. Both have been released on police bail pending further inquiries.