The two-hour stand-off was brought to an end just after 7 pm when a man left the two-storey property at New Road and was ordered to lie on the pavement before being handcuffed by police and led away to custody.

The incident was sparked around 5 pm and saw a fleet of police cars head to the property in New Road.

Officers threw a massive cordon around the area, stopping anyone moving along the length of New Road and much of St James Road, from its junctions with Dundee Road and Lour Road.

Indications the incident was about to be peacefully resolved came shortly after 7 pm when the male left the property and was instructed to kneel down by officers at the gate leading to the front door.

Once he was taken away, an ambulance called to the area and put on standby, was allowed to the scene.

In a statement, Tayside Police confirmed that, following an incident at about 4.30 pm, officers traced a man to a ground floor flat.

"The man - who is in his 30s - was believed to be in possession of a firearm or imitation firearm and was refusing to co-operate with police," explained a police spokesperson.

"No one else was in the flat at the time and it was not the man's home address.

"A cordon was set up around the immediate area and specialist negotiators as well as trained firearms officers attended the scene and the incident was brought to a swift and safe conclusion.

"No one was injured as a result of the incident.

"The man was arrested and is expected to appear at Forfar Sheriff Court on Tuesday."