Video has captured the moment an inmate climbed onto the roof of Strangeways prison in Manchester.
The dramatic footage showed the prisoner clambering precariously along the roof of the jail wearing a makeshift waterproof fashioned from what appears to be a bin bag amid cold and rainy conditions.
His protest began at about 4.30pm and he remained on the roof until around twelve hours later.
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It is understood he did not threatened to harm himself or anyone else. Ambulances were on standby at the prison.
He could be seen waving and shouting to a small band of spectators who gathered near the prison. At one stage he made a love heart gesture to the camera.
He was heard repeatedly shouting 'IPP', which is believed to be a reference to Imprisonment for Public Protection court sentences. The much-criticised indeterminate sentence was scrapped in 2012 but many inmates remain behind bars who were given IPP sentences.
When the drama began on Wednesday afternoon, police closed Southall Street adjacent to the prison, officially titled HMP Manchester.
A spokeswoman for Greater Manchester Police: "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."
A Prison Service spokesperson said: "We are working with emergency services to bring the prisoner down safely."
The building – still known to many by its former name 'Strangeways' - is one of the country's largest high security, category A men's prisons. The jail, to the north of Manchester city centre, which has capacity for over 1,200 inmates, was rebuilt following the infamous Strangeways riot of April 1990 – the biggest disturbance in prison service history.
The protest came to an end at around 4.30am on Thursday morning.
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