Police say there are no plans for North-East officers to carry the new US-style stun guns capable of delivering 50,000-volt shocks.

Five police forces are involved in trials of the "Taser" guns which fire needle-tipped darts up to 21ft to deliver the disabling, high-voltage shock.

The guns, manufactured, by Arizona-based Taser Interational, are designed to temporarily stun suspects by targeting their muscles, forcing them to collapse in a foetal ball.

The weapons come after growing pressure for a "less lethal" weapon in a bid to reduce the number of people shot dead by armed police.

Officers have been instructed to shout the warning ''Taser, Taser, Taser'' at their targets before firing the gun.

The high-voltage electrical current is capable of penetrating clothing up to two inches thick and manufacturers insist the device causes no long-term injuries and only short-term skin irritation.

But they did accept there was a danger of an eye injury if they were fired at someone's face.

The 12-month trial is being piloted in Northamptonshire, London, North Wales, Thames Valley and Lincolnshire.

Yesterday, forces in the North-East were reserving judgement.

Inspector Roy Smith, of Durham Police's operations division, said: "Obviously we will be interested in the results but for the moment we are satisfied with the range of options currently available to our officers and we've no plans to use Tasers just yet."

A spokeswoman for Cleveland Police said: "We're waiting the outcome of the pilot schemes with interest."

The weapons, called the M26 Taser ''electro-muscular disruption'' guns, will only be used by fully trained firearms officers.

But John Wadham, director of civil rights group Liberty, said there were serious concerns about the guns' safety.

"There should be thorough independent testing in the UK before these weapons are 'tested' on the public," he said.