CRADLED in the arms of a police officer and shielded by a wall of heavily-armed others, this is the moment a two-year-old twin was whisked to safety during a 12-hour siege in Kidlington yesterday.

The two young girls had been held in their home following a dispute between their estranged parents.

Last night their father, a 38-year-old man, was being held by police after being arrested on suspicion of firearms offences. He had been tasered by officers to end the stand-off almost 12 hours to the minute after his former partner had fled the flat in Morton Avenue.

Police had been called to the residential street off Yarnton Road at 3.40am. Both young girls were in the flat and their father was said by police to be armed.

All roads leading to the street were sealed off and the police armed response unit scrambled to make up the more than 40 officers involved.

Police negotiators were called in and at about 9.45am the father agreed to release one of his daughters. Less than two hours later her sister was also allowed to go – both girls were whisked from the property by a squad of officers armed with automatic weapons and in full body armour.

They were reunited with their mother – who the Oxford Mail has chosen not to name – and were not hurt, said police. Oxfordshire County Council confirmed both girls were being cared for by family members.

Negotiations with the man continued until just after 3.30pm when he was shot with a taser stun gun and handcuffed.

Superintendent Christian Bunt, the Oxford police commander, confirmed the man’s arrest on suspicion of firearms offences following the incident.

He said: “On leaving the address he was non compliant with police and specially trained officers deployed a taser. There are no injuries as a result of this incident.

“I would like to praise the officers involved in the incident today because they were quite difficult circumstances.”

People living within the cordoned-off area were told to stay inside and could not leave their homes.

Neighbours were stunned by the stand-off and described the two girls as “adorable”.

Danielle Peake, 21, of Hazell Crescent, said her four-year-old daughter was among those kept from the playground at nearby West Kidlington Primary School.

She said: “I have a 4-year-old daughter and she panicked a hell of a lot when she heard the news. “A lot of parents actually picked their children up from the school after hearing the news.”

Two fire engines, an ambulance and a doctor were also called to the scene.

There will be extra police patrols in the area over the next 48 hours.

The police cordon will remain in place until 7am today around the property between the junction of Yarnton and Churchill Road, but residents were last night able to return to their homes.

The council also confirmed the family was not known to social services. A reception centre for residents was set up at Exeter Hall for people unable to return to their homes.