THIS is the terrifying moment when armed police confronted a Hampshire man who had threatened to shoot himself.

Officers threw a ring of steel around a block of flats after one of the occupants dialled 999 and vowed to take his own life.

Police marksmen trained their weapons on his third-floor home at Langdown Lawn, Hythe, as trained negotiators attempted to talk him down.

The tense stand-off ended almost two hours later after the 43-year-old man agreed to give himself up.

Later, police involved in the operation at the Knightstone Grange flats said he appeared to have been unarmed.

Other residents in the block claimed he was a noisy neighbour and called on the landlords, Knightstone Housing Association, to start eviction proceedings.

The siege began shortly after 2pm yesterday when the man - who was alone in the property - telephoned police and threatened to shoot himself.

Officers cordoned off the flats and parked a patrol car across the access road to prevent vehicles going in and out.

No one was evacuated, but residents were warned to stay inside for their own protection.

An ambulance was stationed outside the neighbouring Croft pub in case anyone was injured in a shoot-out.

Shortly after 3pm a group of police officers dressed in riot gear advanced on the man's home. Armed colleagues kept their rifles trained on the property as the team moved in.

At the same time, neighbouring Langdown Lawn - the main road from Hythe to Dibden Purlieu - was closed to traffic.

At 3.45pm a police van was summoned to the flats and reversed up to the building. Minutes later the siege ended and the road was re-opened. Inspector Phil Winchester, of Hythe police, said: "Shortly after 2pm police received a call from a man who said he intended to kill himself.

"Negotiators established a dialogue with the man, who came out of the flat shortly afterwards and was detained.

"We will interview him, search his flat and then see where we go from there. No weapon has been found at this stage."

A Knightstone Grange resident, who asked not to be named, said: "He's lived here for several years and has a terrible reputation. He plays his music really loudly and also shouts out of the window. We would like to see him evicted."