POLICE in riot-gear and fire crews were involved in a tense three-hour stand off yesterday after a "depressed" man refused to leave his home and reportedly threatened to harm himself.

POLICE in riot-gear and fire crews were involved in a tense three-hour stand off yesterday after a "depressed" man refused to leave his home and reportedly threatened to harm himself.

Officers, including dog handlers, fire crews and paramedics surrounded a house at the Hawthorns in Sudbury yesterday morning , after receiving reports a 41-year-old man was planning to harm himself.

Emergency services were called to the home, one of several social housing plots amongst the plush Chilton View estate, just after 11am.

A member of the man's family had alerted the police and said he was refusing to leave the property and was threatening to harm himself.

Several police cars and vans sealed off main access roads close to the property and prevented members of the public and press from getting to close to the scene.

Police officers unsuccessfully attempted to mediate with the man, who refused to leave the property.

Just after 2pm, officers dressed in body armour and armed with riot shields gained entry to the property and detained the man, who was unhurt.

One resident on the estate, who did not want to be named, said: "After the police arrived everybody started hanging out of the windows and others stood around watching.

"After a couple of hours the police got into the house and I saw them put the man into a van and take him away."

Last night a spokesman for Suffolk police said she could not confirm the man was armed or comment on reports that he had doused himself in a flammable liquid, but confirmed he had be detained.

She said: "Police have detained a 41-year-old man following an incident at an address at the Hawthorns in Sudbury.

"A family member called the police shortly before 11.10am to report that a male at the property was depressed and may harm himself.

"Police officers entered the property just after 2.25pm and detained the man, who was unhurt. We will now liaise with the appropriate bodies to ensure the male receives the help he needs. The fire service was also called to standby following reports of flammable liquids being seen at the property."

It is believed the police are treating the incident as "domestic" and that nobody else was in the house during the time of the stand-off.