A MAN was being questioned by police last night following a 22-hour siege in a village.Police were called to the house in Lakenheath after a neighbour reported hearing shots from a weapon, thought to be a shotgun, at about 10pm on Sunday.

A MAN was being questioned by police last night following a 22-hour siege in a village.

Police were called to the house in Lakenheath after a neighbour reported hearing shots from a weapon, thought to be a shotgun, at about 10pm on Sunday.

Officers went to the house in Back Street, but the man refused to let them in. Throughout yesterday, the Suffolk police helicopter circled above the house, while armed police and dog handlers patrolled the streets and trained negotiators tried to keep him talking.

Neighbours reported hearing police officers talking to the man – who has not been named, but who is believed to live in the house with his wife and two children - through loud hailers, asking him to call them and to let them in.

A spokesman for Suffolk police said during the siege: "We had a report late last night of someone hearing some kind of shots, but from what weapon exactly we don't know.

"We believe there is one man in the house and he is refusing to come out. We have tried to get in contact with him to check out what's happened, but he hasn't let us in.

"A team of trained negotiators are trying to speak to the man at the moment. We are hoping to bring this to a peaceful conclusion. Our aim is to try to get him to speak to us as we have concerns about his welfare."

The street around the house was cordoned off, but neighbours were allowed to remain in their houses as the siege continued into a second night.

The tense stand-off finally came to an end after almost 23 hours when the man came out of the house at about 8.40pm and handed himself over to police.

Inspector Les King, of Suffolk police, said: "After a period of ongoing negotiations, the man finally came out of the house and handed himself over. He left the premises unarmed and the matter was resolved peacefully."

A man was being questioned at Bury St Edmunds police station last night in connection with the siege.