Man climbs pylon cutting power to 20,000 homes

Thousands of people were left without power this morning after a man in distress climbed on a power pylon.

Witnesses looked on in shock as the man, believed to be upset over relationship troubles, climbed the pylon with high-voltage cables in Brighouse, West Yorkshire, this morning.

The man climbed the pylon near the Sainsburys in the town centre, before emergency responders and local police came to the scene.

Around 9.23am this morning, the Yorkshire Ambulance Service were dispatched to the scene by police.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said: ‘Emergency services were called to the site of an electricity pylon close to Brighouse Marina at 9:15am today following reports of concern for the safety of a man who had reportedly climbed up the structure.’

‘The man climbed down the pylon shortly after 11:30am and was arrested. He is not thought to have suffered any injuries during the incident.’

Thousands of homes nearby lost power, which is in the process of being restored.

Pylons, large steel structures dotted across the UK power grid, are designed to hold high-voltage electricity lines.

They can be deadly if climbed upon without training, with the ability to shock someone to death or severely injure them in seconds.

Previously, a man was rescued after being spotted dangling 60 feet off the ground from an electricity pylon.

Mystery remains about how the man, aged in his 30s, ended up trapped on the pylon in Hutton, Lancashire, in 2017.

Pictures showed the individual hanging precariously from an electricity wire before a major emergency services operation could be seen attempting to rescue him from the 275 kV line.

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