Armed stand-off property 'empty'

One man was arrested in the property's garden

A house which was surrounded by armed police following a post office robbery was found to be empty.

Officers cordoned off the property, in Moorside near Consett, County Durham after reports that two men involved in the raid were hiding inside.

A 20-year-old man was arrested in the garden, on Thornfield Road, but after a search of the house nothing was found.

Two masked raiders, one thought to have been wielding a pistol, had earlier burst into the village post office.

A small amount of cash was taken during the robbery.

Two further people, a man and woman, are being interviewed by police in connection with the incident, but neither has been arrested.