A 24-year-old bricklayer who made threats held armed police at bay for more than three hours today.

The drama began at 2.39pm in a Moldgreen street when it was suddenly transformed into a hive of activity as more than 20 police officers, dog handlers, ambulances and specially trained negotiators raced to the scene and the police helicopter hovered overhead.

Police said the man, a keen bodybuilder, was holed up in his home on Rosedale Avenue, just off Senior Street with his on/off girlfriend.

A police spokesman initially said the incident was being treated as a “domestic incident” and armed officers were deployed because of reports that he had a knife.

It was claimed that he had smashed up a car and was making threats.

More than a dozen houses were sealed off as police set about the delicate task of trying to prise him out of his home without any injuries being suffered.

Several of the man and his girlfriend’s close relatives and friends stood just yards from the scene watching events unfold.

Police said negotiations had taken some time as the man was behaving “aggressively” towards them and kept promising to come out in 10 minutes but then failed to do so.

One of his neighbours said: “I have known him for some time and he always seemed all right. He liked doing bits and pieces in the garden and I once lent him an electric hedge trimmer.”

Another neighbour said the first inkling she had that trouble was brewing was when the man began flinging items out of the window.

She said: “A shovel came flying out and hit a car and then a rake came out taking down people’s washing off the line.”

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As the siege wore on in the bright sunshine residents began bringing out bottles of cider and mugs of tea as they waited to see how the stand off would end.

Eventually, as tempers began to fray, the siege evaporated as quickly as it had begun.

“He’s coming out!” one neighbour shouted excitedly as armed police clad in their black uniforms began smuggling him into a large van.

Police at the scene of the siege in Rosedale Avenue
Police at the scene of the siege in Rosedale Avenue

Afterwards, Chief Inspector Ian Gayles of Kirklees District said: “At 6.15pm the 24-year-old man left the property after officers negotiated his surrender.

“The man was arrested by police on suspicion of assault, criminal damage and breach of bail. He remains in custody this evening.

EXTRA: See how the siege unfolded with our live coverage which brought updates as they happened

‘‘The safety of the public is our top priority and it was necessary to close some roads in the area while the incident was ongoing. I would like to thank local residents for their patience and support while we worked to bring this situation to a resolution.”

The man’s 26-year-old girlfriend who was in the house during the stand off was taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Armed police at the scene in Rosedale Avenue, Moldgreen