The man who threatened to set fire to himself in Darenth on Friday night is still being held having been taken to hospital to be assessed.

The 60-year-old had an eight hour standoff with police in Wood Lane, from 2pm until he was arrested at 10pm.

Oli Horwood was at home in nearby Sinclair Way on Friday evening when his mum and sister came into the house shouting about their being police, ambulance and fire engines everywhere.

The 16-year-old said: “I went and had a look and couldn’t believe it, there were about 17 police cars, four ambulance cars and vans and two fire engines.

“There were armed police and dog units there as well.

“The whole road was closed off, you couldn’t walk up there and everybody was looking to see what was going on.

“Nobody was too sure what was happening, we just knew it was something to do with the man down the road who has mental health issues.”

The man is still undergoing health assessments.

A spokesman for Kent Police said: “Officers would like to thank members of the public for their co-operation and patience during the incident.”