A woman has been arrested after barricading herself inside a house in Sockburn this afternoon.

Emergency services were called to Epsom Road just after 3pm following initial reports of a house fire. Locals said police were seen moving into the property, and an officer used a loudspeaker to demand the person inside surrender. The house was briefly set alight, but the fire was quickly put out. Epsom Road remains blocked off while emergency services continue to work at the scene.

Inspector Paul Reeves, Response Manager, said a woman had been taken into police custody following a house fire in Epsom Road, Sockburn this afternoon.

“Emergency services were called to the address at 3.10pm today. The woman was the sole occupant of the house and refused to leave when emergency services arrived. While there was no risk to the wider community, cordons were put in place around the house to enable emergency services to work safely at the scene. Police officers spent some time engaging with the woman and she was safely taken into custody at 4.55pm,” Reeves said.