Police use a drone to find a suspect hiding in a wheelie bin in South Tyneside

Police have arrested a man in South Tyneside using a drone following an attempted assault in the borough.

Shortly after 9am on Monday, December 11, officers were contacted by a member of the public on John Reid Road who reported to them seeing a driver leave his car and attempt to assault the occupant of another vehicle.

The victim was able to swerve the man's attack and the offender then fled the scene.

Police launched an investigation into the incident and efforts to trace the driver led officers to an address in the Marsden area.

The man attempted to run away but officers were able to establish a perimeter before deploying a drone to scan the area using a thermal camera.

The 19-year-old was found hiding in a wheelie bin and quickly arrested - he has since been released on bail.

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Chief Inspector Mick Hall, of Northumbria Police, has praised officers for deploying the brand new technology to catch suspects.

He said: "This is just the latest example of how our force is using the newest technology to locate and arrest suspects.

"Our eyes in the sky are already making a real difference in a number of our policing operations, and I am pleased to see the co-operation of our quick-thinking officers has led to another arrest."