A topless man dangling upside down from the top of a 270ft industrial chimney has stopped responding to emergency services.
Police, fire and ambulance services are all at the scene, while a coastguard helicopter also hovered near the top of Dixon’s Chimney in Carlisle, Cumbria.
Footage from the scene shows the man, upside down with his legs in the air, at the top of the chimney, where he has been stuck since 2.20am.
The helicopter and a rescue team were withdrawn because of fears a backdraft could make the man’s already precarious position even worse.
Superintendent Matt Kennerley, of Cumbria Police, has now admitted that the man is unresponsive, while police wait for a giant cherry picker to arrive to free him.
He also revealed that the man had slipped at the top of the chimney, with his leg getting stuck in a ladder.
It has been three or four hours since the man last communicated with emergency services.
He is local to the area and his family are being supported by police officers.
The topless man has been trapped at the top of the 270ft tower since at least 2.20am last night
Superintendent Kennerley said: ‘It’s been a number of hours since we’ve had proper contact with the individual.
‘We were able to confirm that he was ok earlier, it’s proving more and more difficult to do now.
‘He’s not responsive at this point. We are still treating it as a rescue and we have got to continue to do so.
‘We sent a drone up earlier, we had a speaker on the drone. We asked him to do some basic commands and he cooperated, so we could see he was still able to understand what we were saying.
‘That was probably three to four hours ago. So you could see he was still able to understand what you were saying.
‘We know he’s a local individual, have officers with his family.
‘He slipped at the top of the ladder and his leg got embroiled in the ladder at the top.’
It is unclear how the man, who is dangling from his left leg, came to be stuck there, with locals saying that he may have climbed up at around 10.30pm yesterday.
Police confirmed he had been stuck at the top of the chimney since 2.20am.
Police vehicles block the road near to Dixon’s Chimney in Carlisle, Cumbria, where a man, whose condition is currently unknown, continues to hang upside down from the top of the chimney
Superintendent Matt Kennerley, of Cumbria Police, has now admitted that the man is unresponsive
It has been three or four hours since the man last communicated with emergency services
One onlooker added they weren’t sure if the man was still alive.
They said: ‘It’s quite shocking, you can’t see what it is until you get up close.
‘It looks like he’s wrapped his leg around some kind of cable. He’s just hanging. I’m not sure if he’s alive or not.
‘There’s a lot of emergency services here. It looks like they are planning what they are going to do.
‘They did send a helicopter up there. I think they are trying to work out how to get him down.’
The temperature in Carlisle is currently six degrees but would’ve been colder overnight and early this morning.
Police said a range of rescue methods have been tried so far today to free the man.
Superintendent Kennerley added: ‘We are looking at various options to rescue this man safely.
‘So far the multi-agency response has seen us utilise technology including drones.
‘A helicopter has been used to try to rescue the man and efforts have been made to try to drop a technical rescue team onto the chimney to rescue him.
It is unclear how the man came to be stuck there, with locals saying that he may have climbed up at around 10.30pm yesterday – though police confirmed he had been trapped since 2.20am
Fire chiefs have asked the public for a cherry-picker to help get the man down from the 270ft chimney
‘These two attempts have not been successful so far due to concerns over how securely the man is attached to the ladder at the top of the chimney – and the potential danger of backdrafts from the helicopter.
‘These concerns over how securely he is attached have also prevented us from sending someone up the ladder from the bottom. The ladder is also damaged.
‘Ladders used by Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service will be mobilised to see if they can assist while we are awaiting the arrival of the cherry picker.
‘This is an extremely complex and rare incident and requires the specialisms of all the agencies to work together.
‘We are very concerned about the man involved and all those involved in this operation are working tirelessly to bring this to a safe conclusion for all.’
Emergency services are currently awaiting the arrival of an industrial scale 90-metre cherry picker.
It is hoped that the cherry-picker may be able to finally free the trapped man.
Shocking footage shows the man dangling upside down near the top of Dixon’s Chimney in Carlisle, Cumbria
A spokesperson for Cumbria Police, who is at the scene, said: ‘Agencies became aware of a man trapped at height following calls to police at 2:22am today.
‘The agencies involved include Cumbria Fire and Rescue service, as the lead agency, supported by partners including the police, the coastguard, other blue light agencies, mountain rescue, Great North Air Ambulance and paramedics.
‘So far we have utilised technology including drones.
‘We have used a helicopter to make an attempt to try and rescue the man and we are working tirelessly across the emergency services to look at our options to try and bring this gentleman down safely.
‘This is obviously a very dangerous situation for the man involved and the rescuers as well. Therefore it may take some time.
‘Road closures are obviously in place and I would just like to thank the public for their patience. We are attempting to minimise disruption to the public and businesses.’
John McVay, Cumbria Fire Area Manager said: ‘I’d also like to ask anyone who has a cherry picker in excess of 90 metres within or near Cumbria to please contact Cumbria police or Cumbria Fire and rescue service on 999.’
Scott Mattinson, 24, and his fiance Nadene, 25, live nearby and Scott said: ‘We heard a noise at about 10.30pm last night – some sort of wailing; like something in distress.
‘We thought nothing of it at the time.
‘But then at 1am Nadene woke up; we could hear shouting and a carry-on. We thought it was somebody who was drunk – you get used that, living near to Dalston Road. Then at 3am, there was more shouting, and it turns out that that was the police.
‘We looked out of the window and saw blue lights flashing.’
Roads around the structure, built in 1836 and a prominent local landmark, have been closed.
Footage appears to show a figure, upside down with his legs in the air, at the top of the chimney, with a helicopter used to unsuccessfully try to save him
Initially, early morning mist made it difficult to see the man, before it cleared up and revealed him
Local reports said shouts and wailing could be heard coming from the chimney in the early hours of this morning before police arrived on the scene.
In a statement this morning, Cumbria Police said: ‘Emergency services are continuing to respond to an incident at Dixons chimney in Carlisle where a man is trapped at height.
‘Cumbria Fire and Rescue and Cumbria Constabulary are at the scene.
‘The man was reported to have become stuck just after 2:20am this morning (28 Oct).’
John McVay added: ‘This is a very complex and difficult process given the obvious dangers to the man and the extreme difficulty in gaining access to him in a way which will keep him and emergency services safe.
‘I can assure the public that the emergency services are working tirelessly and effectively together to resolve this issues safely for all and that the protection of life is our first priority.
Dixon’s Chimney was restored by Carlisle City Council in 1999. Originally it was 305 ft tall, but in 1950 it was shortened to 290 ft
‘I ask people impacted by the incident and the road closures to continue to show patience.’
‘I’d also like to ask anyone who has a cherry picker in excess of 90 metres within Cumbria to please contact Cumbria police or Cumbria Fire and rescue service on 999’
The road is currently closed at Stanhope Road, Charlotte Street and Shaddongate where it meets Bridge Street (A595)
The public are asked to avoid the area.