A MAN spotted at the top of a crane in Oxford in the early hours of this morning was arrested for wasting police time.

Fire crews and police were called to Banbury Road, in Summertown, shortly after 4am, where a member of the public said they could see a white flashlight beam moving around atop a tower crane.

A 22-year-old man from Oxford descended the crane of his own accord and was arrested for causing a public nuisance and wasting police time. 

He was bailed until Saturday, April 8.

Station manager Darran Hookway, of Rewley Road and Slade Park fire stations, who attended the incident, said: “The man suffered no injuries, and the rescue teams did not need to climb the tower crane to bring him down.

“This is another example of how the emergency services work so closely together as a multi-agency team, each bringing their own particular specialisms, to ensure a seamless response to what had the potential to be a very complex incident.”

The fire crew attended the scene along with a specialist rope rescue team from Kidlington.

As the flashlight was no longer visible upon the arrival of emergency crews, police made a request to the National Police Air Service to launch its nearest helicopter.

The helicopter used powerful thermal imaging equipment to identify the man’s presence while maintaining a safe distance.

With the man and his intentions unknown, the hazardous area response team of South Central Ambulance Service also attended.