Armed siege enters second day

Armed police are at the scene

Armed police are continuing to surround a house after a man armed with a machete barricaded himself inside in protest at plans for a new supermarket.

Officers were called to the property in Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, at about 0830 BST on Monday following reports of a man seen wielding a machete.

It is thought 40-year-old Kevin Phillips is angry at plans to build a superstore near his home in the town's Oxford Street, and has been involved in a dispute with the local council over rubbish and scrap metal in his front garden.

Mr Phillips has been inside the house for 24 hours with an elderly woman, believed to be his mother, although officers do not believe she has been taken hostage.

A man remains barricaded into his home... we have something of a standoff at the moment Avon and Somerset Police spokesman

Thirty officers and an armed response unit stayed at the scene overnight.

Oxford Street, Cross Street and Adam Street are closed while a trained negotiator tries to convince the man to give himself up.

Avon and Somerset Police spokesman Dan Mountain said: "A man remains barricaded into his home and a full police presence remains at the scene.

"A cordon is in place to protect the safety of this man and the people living nearby.

"We would ask people to avoid the centre of Burnham-on-Sea if possible as we have something of a stand-off in the area at the moment."

In a statement, Sedgmoor District Council confirmed it had been in contact with the owner of the house regarding items left in the garden since the mid-1990s.