Armed police were called to a house in Dovercourt today after fears that a man had a gun.

Fourteen armed officers went to Langley Close shortly after midnight after reports of a man threatening to kill himself.

A Harwich police spokesman said: "We had a major firearms incident. We had reason to believe a man was serious about killing himself. There were reports of a young person possibly in the house. I believe a trained negotiator was called but he was not needed."

Police were alerted by a member of the public. The armed officers were drafted in from police headquarters in Chelmsford and the force support unit. But armed response vehicles were called from Colchester and Basildon.

The spokesman said the road was not sealed off. It was cleared at 3am. No firearms were found in the house and the man was alone. No shots were fired.

A man was in custody today after last night's operation.

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