STAND-OFF: ‘Notorious’ man in four-hour rooftop siege after dramatic police chase

It began at 2.30pm at a row of terraced houses in Clayton-le-Moors after a police chase came to a dramatic end nearby, with three cars — including a police vehicle — left badly damaged.

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A police helicopter was called and numerous officers descended on Brisbane Street, off Whalley Road, as a local man, who is well known to police but cannot be named for legal reasons, climbed up a drainpipe and onto the tiles.

Police and community support officers blocked off neighbouring streets with their vehicles and kept their distance as the man talked to members of his family on the ground.

He remained on the roof until around 6.30pm, when he came down and was driven off in a waiting car.

Police were last night unable to say whether the man was arrested, and whether the chase and stand-off were linked.

One Brisbane Street resident said the ‘notorious’ local man had been refusing to come down.

She said: “He said he was going to stay there all night. He was walking up and down the roof and shouting at his mates.

“And his mum was shouting at him trying to get him to come down too.”

And local resident Stephanie Dewhurst said: “He was shouting something about seeing his kids or calling his girlfriend but I don’t know for sure what he was saying.

“All the neighbours were out and his family members were there too.

“The police had four streets sealed off.”

Ms Dewhurst said a black Fiat Punto belonging to a neighbour, plus a police car, were among the three badly damaged in the police chase.

Former councillor Nick Collingridge, who lives in Sparth Road, said he had spotted the police helicopter circling overhead, and said he was surprised at the events that had unfolded.

“This is certainly out of the ordinary because you don’t get police chases everyday. You would not expect something like this, especially on a Sunday,” he said.

“One thing that is positive about Clayton is over the last five years crime has been down.

“We have seen good policing efforts recently from our local bobby [PC Paul Pountain] and we have a new inspector and she seems to be putting a lot of effort it.

“But my gripe is, because of the cuts, we have lost quite a number of officers.”

A spokesman for the National Police Air Service, which flies out of Warton, said they were called to the pursuit at around 2.10pm while already in the air at Preston.