AN Arbroath man armed himself and threatened to pour ammonia over police officers during a siege which lasted six-and-a-half hours.

Police and firefighters raced to Lee Hackett’s home in Strathairlie Avenue on April 17 at around 10.30am.

There, the 49-year-old acted in a manner “likely to cause a reasonable person to suffer fear or alarm.”

He acted in an aggressive manner, shouted and swore and stated he was in possession of a gun and knives.

Hackett threatened to pour ammonia over police while he was holding a bottle.

He also brandished a knife and repeatedly made threats.

Police arrested him just before 5pm.

Hackett appeared from custody at Forfar Sheriff Court yesterday and admitted acting in a threatening manner.

Sheriff Mark O’Hanlon ordered reports and Hackett was released on bail and will return to the dock to be sentenced on June 20.

The incident resulted in gas supplies to the area being cut off and a number of local residents being evacuated.

Police confirmed: “As a precaution, residents were evacuated from the flats, however, (they) have since returned home.”

Katie Lobban, spokesperson for the gas network company SGN, said: “We attended a property in Strathairlie Avenue on Monday and turned off the gas supply at the meter at the request of the police.”

At least six police cars attended and an armed response unit was sent as support.

The area was also cordoned off by police until after Hackett was arrested.

RESIDENTS of a Perthshire town devastated by flooding have been equipped with alternative “sandless” sandbags to help prepare for future extreme weather events.

People in Alyth say they are still emotionally scarred by the huge flood that hit the town in the summer of 2015, and have since experienced major flooding in 2020, 2021 and two incidents last year.

Properties have been badly damaged and some businesses were forced to close for good.

Now a dedicated flood team has handed out

FloodSax sandbags to help keep out rainwater during downpours.

FloodSax are multipurpose “sandless” sandbags which have a gelling polymer inside them which absorbs water, so they will soak up water that comes into contact with them.

The bags have been bought by Retained Alyth Flood Team (Raft) and funded by the Alyth Development Trust following advice issued by the Scottish Flood Forum charity.

Grant Train, Raft leader, said: “This was supposedly a once-in-100-year issue but is now happening multiple times a year.”