Drama as protester forces bridge closure

7:10am Wednesday 23rd July 2008

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By Lucy Tatchell »

AN irate man brought Worcester city centre to a standstill as he clung on to the main bridge for over an hour.

Hundreds watched aghast last night as Adam Talbot dangled over Worcester Bridge in protest against the state builders left his house in.

He tied a hose around the railings, climbed over the edge, gripping the hose with his hands as a police negotiator tried to persuade him back over.

Onlookers stood transfixed fearing what his next move would be. Some thought he had a rope around his neck.

Finally after an hour he ended his protest by climbing back on to the pavement.

Police closed the road over the river Severn, forcing motorists to take long diversions around the city.

Many of the drivers had already been forced to take diversions due to the closure of Powick Bridge for essential repairs.

Fourteen police officers were at the scene, Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service sent three crews from Worcester and two boats – one from Worcester and the other from Evesham.

Firefighters stood at the riverside ready to launch their boats in case he jumped while rowers approaching the bridge were told to turn back.

Mr Talbot, a steward at Worcestershire County Cricket Club, started his dramatic protest shortly after 7pm, and the emergency services were on the scene within minutes.

As previously reported in your Worcester News, he has been battling with Worcester Community Housing after builders left his family without a bathroom for a week and without a workable kitchen for nearly two months.

A series of other errors meant jobs had not been finished properly, and Mr Talbot was having to take time off work to finish them.

Mr Talbot and his partner, who live with their five children at the house in Coventry Avenue, St John’s, Worcester, had a meeting with WCH and building contractor Connaught, who said they were working to rectify the issues.

But when Mr Talbot returned from work yesterday he found brick dust covering the whole house.

The dust was all over his daughter’s sterilised bottles and for the 38-year-old man it was the last straw.

“I will stop everything – I am really sorry about this but this is the only way I can do it,” he said in a call to your Worcester News minutes before the drama unfolded.

Speaking at the scene, a colleague of Mr Talbot’s, who did not want to be named, was terrified he was going to jump. He even offered to fix Mr Talbot’s home himself if it meant him climbing to safety.

The scene attracted a crowd of onlookers, many of whom were trying to get to the other side of the bridge.

Some could not believe he was protesting at the state of his house, and others commented on the waste of police time he was causing.

Sergeant Jill Fowler, of South Worcestershire Police, said: “It was very resource- intensive. We have liased with Worcester Community Housing and we have a Worcester Community Housing officer at the station who he is going to speak to.”

As your Worcester News went to press Mr Talbot was in police custody having been arrested for wasting police time and emergency services resources.