Durham Police deal with eight sudden deaths on Christmas Day as officers tackle 339 incidents

Police dealt with eight sudden deaths on Christmas Day among the 339 incidents it responded to over 24 hours.

Durham Police shared details of officers' workload over the festive period as it reminded members of the public that they "don’t stop for Christmas".

Officers were also called to deal with altercations, escaped horses, crashes and thefts.

Durham Police said its first call out was 11 minutes into Christmas Day, following reports a catalytic converter had been stolen form a car on an industrial estate in Chester-le-Street.

By 6am, they had dealt with 62 incidents including reports of a fight outside a Chester-le-Street pub.

Another altercation was reported at around 3pm - the force's 173rd call of the day - but it proved to be a false alarm.

Over the course of the day, officers attended eight sudden deaths, dealt with at least three road collisions and had to search for two horses which had escaped in the south of the county.

They also received reports of six people who had gone missing, locating them all safe and well - including a man from Newton Aycliffe who was unaware he had been reported missing.

Just 50 seconds before Christmas Day came to an end, the force was called by a heavily intoxicated woman who reported paint had been thrown at her house. However, she later said she did not want to report the incident.

A spokesperson for Durham Police said: "We don’t stop for Christmas, we’re here for you 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"Less than one third of the incidents we deal with are reports of crime."

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