A domestic incident in Westport early this morning escalated when a drunken man armed with an axe holed himself up in a shed.
The armed offenders squad was put on standby.
Senior sergeant Paul Watson, of Greymouth police, said they were initially called to a Westport property about 3.45am.
A 31-year-old man had been causing issues in a domestic situation, including assault with a weapon, and was issued with a police safety order banning him from the address.
However, things escalated when he later returned and he barricaded himself in a shed with an axe and started making threats.
