POLICE last night arrested a man whose actions had led to parts of a North-East town being brought to a standstill yesterday.

The stand-off in Seaton Carew, near Hartlepool , began after a concerned family member contacted Cleveland Police yesterday afternoon saying the man had left in a vehicle and had been making threats to harm himself.

He was tracked down to Seaton Carew beach, where he was driving erratically across the sand, occasionally driving into shallow parts of sea. Police say they had concerns for the man’s “emotional wellbeing” and sealed off areas of the town as a consequence.

The police helicopter was brought in and was seen hovering overhead to keep track of the vehicle. Several representatives of the emergency services, including paramedics, were also at the scene.

At about 8.15pm the 42-yearold 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 spokesman for Cleveland Police 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.”