A MENTALLY ill woman held a social worker hostage at knifepoint in her Skipton home on Friday.

The woman, who lives on Sawley Street, has been sectioned under the Mental Health Act and no criminal charges will be brought against her.

Detectives recovered a carving knife from the house, and the woman was arrested and taken to Skipton Police Station where she was examined by a doctor.

The ordeal began on Friday morning when staff at the Craven Centre on Keighley Road received a distress call from a social worker, being held hostage at a client's address.

Police were called but a community psychiatric nurse had already gone to the address and was in the house when the police arrived. The resident's boyfriend was also inside the house.

As detectives set up a communication system, the woman came out of the house and she was arrested. No-one was hurt during the incident.

Chief Inspector Nick Smedley, of Skipton Police, said: "We had an incident on Sawley Street, Skipton where we were asked to provide some assistance.

"There was a telephone call made to the centre that a social worker had been taken hostage and the resident was armed with a knife.

"Another member of staff had gone down to the address, so there were two people from social services, the resident and her boyfriend in the house. There were no children involved.

"Basically, we went down there and got all the information that we could. While we were planning how to approach the house and the best way to organise a communication, the resident came out and was arrested. A small knife was recovered."

A spokesman from Bradford District Care Trust, which manages mental health services in the area, including the Craven Centre, confirmed that two members of staff had been involved.

"They were physically unhurt and have been given support," he added.

Four plain clothed police officers and half a dozen uniformed officers were involved in the incident.

Chief Insp Smedley added that if the woman had not come out of the house, the situation could have become even more serious.

"Even though it was a knife, it was a hostage situation and we would have to have brought in specially trained hostage negotiators," he added.