Woman in eight-hour bomb alert stand-off

Much of Saltburn, near Redcar, was closed off for several hours yesterday after a woman believed to be carrying “suspicious items” was cornered on the seafront.

Roads and footpaths were closed, businesses and homes were evacuated and only residents were allowed to drive into the town as police dealt with the incident.

A 40-year-old woman was arrested last night under the Mental Health Act.

Earlier several images posted on social networking sites by bystanders showed a female with her hands on her head with armed officers pointing firearms at her. A rucksack was also pictured nearby.

She was initially pictured lying on the pavement of the town’s promenade and was later ordered by officers to move to a bench.

An army bomb disposal unit from Catterick Garrison was deployed to examine the bag and its contents. A robot was used to move the bag to the beach while inspections were carried out.

Lyle McCalmont, a 31-year-old IT executive from Redcar said: “There were armed police all over the seafront area. A police helicopter was hovering overhead and many streets were closed off.”

Cleveland Police’s Superintendant Ciaron Irvine praised officers and staff from other agencies for securing a successful outcome. He also thanked Saltburn residents for their understanding in dealing with the disruption.