A stand-off by police lasting ten hours turned into a search tonight after two young men who got on to the roof of a Keighley house slipped away in the darkness.

Police had cordoned off the neighbourhood around Redcliffe Street, Highfield, as trained negotiators tried to coax the pair into giving themselves up after they had earlier hurled slates into the street.

Crowds had gathered to watch as the two white males, believed to be in their late teens, moved between the rooftop and the inside of the house after the stand-off began at about 11am today.

One large group of male youths, who gathered in nearby Drewry Road, cheered as a firework was thrown into the street at about 7pm.

Police finally moved into the house at about 9.15pm tonight to find the pair had disappeared.

The West Yorkshire Police helicopter was then brought in to search the area.

Inspector Paul Clynch, who is overseeing the incident, said: “We went in the premises and they ran on to the rooftops.

“The police helicopter has been used to check the rooftops but we believe they have found another way down.”