POLICE stormed a York house after a two-year-old boy was held hostage for more than three hours.

Officers, including specially-trained shield teams, moved into Lincoln Street, off Leeman Road, at 9.18pm yesterday after a man kicked in the door of a house.

They stormed the house soon after midnight to recover the boy, believed to be the man's son.

"We got a report to say that a male had smashed down the front door, the female occupant had left the house and a two-year-old child was inside," said Sergeant Colin Ventress, of York Police.

"The male is thought to have been the woman's estranged partner, and the boy's father. He had been demanding entry to the house, and when this had been denied he had kicked his way in.

"A siege situation developed and officers tried to negotiate with the man."

He said a stand-off lasted until 12.23am, while police tried unsuccessfully to persuade the man to leave the house.

Sgt Ventress said: "At 12.23am, officers entered the premises by force and the child was returned to his mother safely."

An ambulance had been put on standby in the street, but nobody was injured, he said.

One neighbour, who asked not to be named, said today that she was woken by loud banging and saw six police officers wearing visors and other protective clothing carrying a man away from the house.

She said: "There were six police vans and I would say about 20 officers. He was put in one of the smaller vans. I noticed that the door (of the house) was hanging off its hinges.

"It was horrendous because of what the police were wearing. They were more impersonal than usual.

I couldn't sleep for about two hours after that."

Updated: 15:23 Wednesday, May 08, 2002