Police in a five-hour stand-off with ‘drunken’ man who climbed up a 110ft electricity pylon and got stuck at the top
- Man climbed pylon near in Marsh Barton, in Exeter, Devon, at around 5.45am
- He was talked down from the pylon just after 10.30am by emergency services
- Man, who was thought by officers to be drunk, was too high for fire service ladders to reach
A ‘drunk’ man who got stuck at the top of a 110ft electrical pylon was involved in a five-hour stand off with police before being talked down.
Police were called to the scene at Salmon Pool Bridge, Marsh Barton, in Exeter, Devon, at 5.45am today and cordoned off the area.
The man, who was thought by officers to have been intoxicated, was so high up that firefighters were unable to reach him with any available ladder platforms.
A ‘drunk’ man who got stuck at the top of a 110ft electrical pylon was involved in a five-hour stand off with police before being talked down
Police were called to the scene at Salmon Pool Bridge, Marsh Barton, in Exeter, Devon, at 5.45am today and cordoned off the area. The man, who was thought by officers to have been intoxicated, was so high up that firefighters were unable to reach him with any available ladder platforms
And he was only talked down from the structure just after 10.30am.
Police units surrounded the pylon and cordoned off a huge portion of Exeter’s riverside area as a result of the unusual incident.
A specialist paramedic team, trained in hazardous environments, and Western Power (WPD) staff were called in.
A WPD worker said: ‘It’s a 132kv pylon.
‘Supplies have been deenergised and the circuit isolated and earthed for safety reasons.
‘Supply remains unaffected in the surrounding area. It’s been carried out in a way to avoid disruption.’
Police units surrounded the pylon and cordoned off a huge portion of Exeter’s riverside area as a result of the unusual incident. Above: a police cordon seals off the entrance to Clapperbrook Lane, with the pylon visible in the distance
A witness said: ‘I had headed to Double Locks to use my drone and as I was coming back I saw police were closing off [Clapperbrook Bridge] with the fire brigade.
‘This was at around 6.45am. It must’ve taken him about 20-30 minutes to get up there.’
The man is now said to be safe and uninjured.
A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police told MailOnline: ‘Police were alerted at approximately 5:45am to the presence of a man up an electricity pylon near the Marshbarton area of Exeter.
‘Police officers attended, along with fire and ambulance services to attempt to persuade the male to return to the ground safely.
‘The area was cordoned off by police to preserve public safety. Negotiators successfully talked the man down just after 10:30.’