Police negotiators sent in as man scales crane in New Brighton

Jul 6 2011 By Laura Jones

A MAN scaled a towering four-storey crane, sparking a stand-off with police.

Emergency services arrived at Portland Street in New Brighton last night amid fears the man may jump.

The road was closed off after the young man, believed to be from the local area, was spotted just before 7pm on the site of the former Hotel Victoria.

A crowd of up to 40 people gathered at the police cordon as officers tried to talk the man in his 20s down. Fire crews stood by as police negotiators led the operation.

One eyewitness said: "He had a local accent – he was shouting back to them, it was something to do with a girl that lied about him or something.

"There were maybe 30 to 40 people out watching, they were just watching, but there were no family members I don’t think.

"He was telling the police to get the girl to come down.

"They said they’d called her but that was all they could do."

Motorists were told to avoid the area as the cordon remained in place late last night.

One woman living nearby said: "Cars were only being allowed through to their own property.

"We’ve heard he was talking about a girlfriend. The crane has been sitting there for a few years and it moves in the wind."