ARMED police were called to Malvern Link on Tuesday where a man threatened to harm himself with a six-inch carving knife.

The man, who has not been named, shut himself in a house at 8 Hampden Road for five hours before giving himself up.

More than 30 officers, the majority in riot gear, were involved in the incident, which saw Hampden Road and Merton Road closed.

The man was arrested to prevent a breach of the peace at around 7pm, then returned to a hospital where he is currently undergoing assessment.

The siege began shortly after 2pm and police escorted a woman from the house shortly afterwards. It is understood that nobody else was in the property at the time.

Police said the incident was resolved peacefully, with no injuries to anyone involved.

During the siege, crowds gathered around the water feature at the end of Hampden Road. Some were residents unable to return to their homes.

Those who were home at the time were ordered to remain indoors.

One eyewitness, Jodie Harris of Lechmere Crescent, was walking past the house as the drama began.

"I saw officers talking to the man through a front window and heard them ask him: 'Do you fancy coming out and talking?'"

By 2.50pm, more than 15 police cars, an armed response team and paramedics were on the scene.

As negotiators spoke to the man through the window, he pulled back a net curtain to answer them.

An eyewitness saw events unfold from her window and said the man grasped the knife tightly throughout negotiations.

At 4pm, the first of three vans filled with police armed with riot shields pulled into Hampden Road. The officers immediately began to put on heavy protective gear.

The man unexpectedly dropped the knife out of his front window at 5.05pm and a police officer wearing gloves approached and collected it.

But the man remained in the house and residents heard police discussing how to apprehend him.

At 6.55pm, as police stood ready in the road, two plain-clothes officers entered through the back of the house.

Five minutes later, the riot police stood down and started to remove protective equipment.

The man was brought out on to Merton Road and placed under custody in a police van. He appeared to offer no resistance.

The crowds quickly dispersed and residents returned to their homes when the road reopened at 7.30pm.

Chief Inspector Alan Baldwin of South Worcestershire Police said: "We would like to thank residents for their patience and understanding while Hampden Road was closed off."