A NORTH-EAST university campus was partially cordoned off earlier this afternoon after reports of a person 'covered in petrol' were made to police.

A section of the Teesside University campus on Southfield Road in Middlesbrough was cordoned off by police at around 2pm on Monday (November 18).

Eyewitnesses on social media described a "strong smell of petrol" and a member of the public reported seeing somebody in the campus area doused in a substance believed to be petrol.

A statement from Teesside University confirmed it was now working with the emergency services following the incident and that it had been resolved.

A spokesperson for Cleveland Police later confirmed the incident, and said: "Police were called to the University at 2.01pm and a vulnerable man was taken to a place of safety by 2.10pm."

A spokesman for Teesside University said: “Our security team responded to an incident on campus this afternoon concerning the welfare of one of our students.

"We worked with the emergency services to ensure the incident was resolved swiftly and safely and a small area of the campus was cordoned off for a short period of time.

"We cannot comment further about the specific nature of the incident at this stage, but the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff is always our primary concern."