Streets sealed off in city rooftop drama

POLICE negotiators were called in and several Newcastle streets sealed off after a man climbed on to a roof in Westgate Road.

The stand-off began at 6.15pm last night when officers received reports of a member of the public on the roof of a building.

Police immediately sealed off several nearby streets in a bid to secure the area and negotiate with the man.

The streets affected were Ellesmere Road and Middleton Avenue, the east end of West Road, Farndale Road, Strathmore Road, West Road, Canning Street and Temple Street.

Northumbria Police blocked access to the roads for about two hours, warning anyone who turned up at the scene would be turned away.

Witnesses said they had seen two people throwing stones from the roof.

One onlooker said: “I came out for something to eat and all of a sudden police cars were swarming the area. There were flashing lights everywhere and police officers in uniform flooded the streets.

“I saw two kids on the roof throwing stones.”

A taxi driver in the area told how he was diverted because of the police cordon.

The man later came down from the roof although police continued to have a strong presence in the area.

A police spokesperson said: “Officers were speaking with the man in order to bring him down from the roof and bring the incident to a safe conclusion.”