Prisoner spotted on roof of UK's Strangeways prison after escape
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An inmate has been spotted standing on top of the roof of Manchester's Strangeways prison after escaping from the building.
The prisoner can be seen scaling the prison as he holds up what looks like a pole while waving his arms in the air.
At one point, the man wore a waterproof and even made a 'love heart' gesture.
Strangeways, officially known as HMP Manchester, is one of the country's largest high-security, category-A men's prisons.
Holding more than 1,200 inmates, the facility was rebuilt back in April 1990 following the infamous prison riot that has long since been hailed as one of the biggest disturbances in the whole of prison service history.
Emergency services arrived at the scene shortly after the man was spotted on the roof.
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said: "At around 4:30pm today (Wednesday 12 April 2023), officers were called to a concern for welfare of a man on Southall Street.
"Emergency services are currently at the scene with specialist negotiators.
"Road closures in and around Southall Street will remain in place until further notice. Members of the public are asked to avoid the area. There is believed to be no wider threat to the public," the statement concluded.
Live footage from the event showed the prisoner walking up and down the roof with a Manchester Evening News reporter revealing: "There is one police car in attendance here on Lord Street. The man can be seen scaling the roof."
According to the MEN, the inmate then walked to the other side of the Strangeways roof.
Police had been at the scene for 'two hours' with 'negotiators working to get the man down'.
An ambulance subsequently arrived at the prison around 6:30pm.
In a statement to LADbible, a prison service spokesperson said: "We are working with emergency services to bring the prisoner down safely."
The inmate is not said to have threatened to harm himself or anyone else.
Police are currently warning that members of the public should avoid the area around the prison but that there is not believed to be a wider threat to the public.
In a follow-up statement released Thursday (13 April), a prison spokesperson added: "Staff safely resolved this incident and the prisoner will face punishment as disorder in prisons is not tolerated."
The spokesperson confirmed: "The incident was resolved shortly after 4am this morning."
