A TEENAGE girl, who climbed 15 storeys of scaffolding on a Bromsgrove church, had to be dramatically talked down by a trained police negotiator.

Police and fire crews were called out at around 1.45am last Wednesday after the 15-year-old climbed to the top of St John's Parish Church.

The girl ignored an initial request to climb back down, and refused help from the fire brigade, before the police negotiator arrived.

He eventually persuaded her to come down and she was safely back on ground level at around 4.30am.

Inspector Mark Ashford, who is based at Kidderminster police station, warned that anyone who puts themselves in this situation could face an £80 fixed penalty ticket for wasting police time.

Police have now contacted the Health and Safety Executive to assess whether the scaffolding, which has been there since November, can be made more secure in order to prevent a repeat incident.