A police siege at the former prison service headquarters in Happy Valley was ended after a three-hour stand-off.

A man gave himself up to officers after he barricaded himself inside with what was said to be “a harmful substance” just before 9am.

A police spokesman said emergency vehicles and social services staff attended a report of a man barricaded inside the building on Happy Valley Road in Pembroke.

He added: “The man in question, believed to be 68 years old, was apparently in possession of a noxious substance and refused to leave the premises.”

The spokesman said the man was threatening anyone who enters the building with the “harmful substance”.

He added: “As a result, police officers cordoned off the area as a precaution.

“The individual was later taken into police custody without incident and inquiries continue by police as well as the relevant government social service agencies.”