Police used a Taser gun on a 20-year-old man in Dover early on Monday.

It happened at Aycliffe after officers responded to a 999 call to an incident in a house at King's Ropewalk.

Three young children and a woman left the house and police moved in to arrest a man who was armed with a knife.

A police spokeswoman said the Taser was used in order to make the man complaint and to enable the officers to arrest him safely.

He was was arrested on suspicion of false imprisonement and causing grievous bodily harm, and was taken to Dover police station for questioning.

The incident happened a month after Home Secretary Jacqui Smith announced he was arming police with 10,000 Taser stun guns as part of the government's fight against violent crime.