A STAND-off at at Seaton Carew, near Hartlepool , has ended after police negotiated with a man who was said to be driving “erratically” across the sand.

A concerned family member contacted Cleveland police this afternoon saying the man had left in a vehicle, making threats to harm himself.

He was tracked down to Seaton Carew beach, where he was driving across the sand, occasionally driving into shallow parts of sea.

The police helicopter was hovering overhead to keep track of the vehicle, and all the emergency services, including paramedics, were at the scene.

Around 8.15pm the 42-year-old local man was arrested for a public nuisance offence.

No one was injured during the incident which police say was brought to a safe and peaceful conclusion.

A police spokesman said: “We would like to thank local residents for their patience as this was a fairly protracted incident where we had concerns for the man’s emotional wellbeing - so we had to deal with the situation accordingly. 
“Several cordons were in place in Seaton Carew throughout the afternoon and evening and again, we appreciate the community’s co-operation while these measures were in place.”