A MAN gave himself up to armed police after a tense, seven-hour stand-off in Newport today.

The siege, involving officers in riot gear, was sparked by an incident at a house in Duffryn.

Armed police who were called at around 4.30am, fired a baton round during the incident, but no-one was injured.

Officers with riot shields, a dog handler, police marksmen, negotiators and at least 18 police vehicles were involved in the incident on Cormorant Way.

The main street around the estate and a part of Duffryn Way were sealed off and nearby residents were told to stay indoors. At intervals in the morning a man appeared at a broken window.

Stewart Jones, a builder who lives a few doors away from the siege house, said: "At around 4.30am he came out of the front door. "Police asked him to show both hands but he wouldn't. A negotiator was stood by my garden gate, and a police marksman was lying on my drive.

"It's been a bit of excitement but we've missed all our appointments, I couldn't go to work and the kids couldn't go to school. I'm glad it's over now, we just didn't know how long it was going to go on."

Chief Superintendent Kevin Price, who joined the negotiating team, said: "Police needed to balance safety of the public, with safety of the officers and safety of the man.

"As a result of negotiations he agreed to a safe surrender. A full search is being conducted. He has injuries which were self-inflicted but they are not serious."

At around 10.50pm today, a 37-year old man, believed to be a father of two, gave himself up to police. There were no other people in the building with him.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission has been notified of the baton round being fire, and as a matter of course there will be an inquiry. The last time such a round was fired was in November 2002