A man is critically ill in hospital after an incident in which a woman was held at knifepoint for five hours.

The 36-year-old man is believed to have taken paracetamol.

The 30-year-old woman, believed to be the man's former girlfriend, had visited his home on the Sunny Blunts estate, on the outskirts of Peterlee, at around noon on Saturday.

She wanted to collect some clothes and had contacted the police to ask for help. Two local beat officers were deployed but by the time they arrived, the man had armed himself with a knife, grabbed her and taken her into the house.

The area was sealed off as police negotiators and armed officers rushed to the scene. Throughout the afternoon, the woman was seen several times and the man was spotted holding at least two different knives, one of which was a chef's knife with a nine-inch blade.

Police warned neighbours to stay inside but no properties were evacuated. Throughout the incident, police maintained a dialogue with the man, who told them he had taken paracetamol.

At around 5.20pm, the man walked out of the house and was arrested. He was taken immediately to hospital at Hartlepool.

Officers recovered two knives and carried out a detailed search of the house. They also conducted an in-depth interview with the woman, who walked unaided and unharmed from the house.

Last night, detectives were waiting to interview the man at his bedside.

Inspector Sean Gardiner, of Peterlee police, said: "He is still in hospital and is described as critical, so we have not been able to speak to him yet.

"He said he had taken paracetamol and that would appear to be the case.

"The woman is fit and well albeit shaken up.

"There were certainly a few people there but the incident itself was contained fairly tightly."