COMMUTERS faced long delays after a man climbed on to the railway viaduct in Accrington this morning.

Main roads into the town and the railway line had to be closed due to the incident over Blackburn Road.

Police were alerted to a man from the Accrington area behaving suspiciously in the King Street and Railway Road area of Accrington at 3.45am.

When police got to the scene, the man, who has not been named, made off towards the viaduct.

At 4am he was seen moving around about 50ft up, and police negotiators were called out.

Network Rail were asked to suspend trains in the area, which affected services towards Preston.

Police also blocked off Eagle Street to ensure the safety of the man and other road-users.

Around 8am, police negotiators were able to bring the incident to a safe conclusion and the man was detained under the Mental Health Act.

Inspector Paul Goodall said: "I would like to thank road and railway users for their patience."