A MAN has been arrested after a 12-hour stand-off by the River Ouse in York.

As The Press reported, at about 12pm yesterday (Wednesday, September 8), police received a report that a man was breaching a criminal behaviour order in York city centre.

A spokesman for the force said: "Officers attended, but the man ran off, and climbed to the wrong side of a safety barrier over the River Ouse.

"He threatened to jump, and refused to come down for about 12 hours.

"Officers moved in and the incident was safely brought to a conclusion in the early hours of today.

"The 36-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of breaching a criminal behaviour order, causing a public nuisance, escaping from lawful custody and affray."

Throughout the afternoon and late in to the evening cordoned off parts of York city centre after the incident closing the area between City Screen and The Pitcher and Piano bar in Coney Street to the public shortly after 12.30pm with ambulance and firefighters also in attendance.

A member of the public, who didn’t want to be named said they saw emergency workers talking to a man holding on to the railings outside City Screen cinema.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said they were called out at 12.25pm to an incident in  Coney Street. Crews from York, Acomb, Selby and Ripon initially attended the scene near the river Ouse. 

The footpath on the city centre side of Lendal Bridge was also closed with police officers on the scene not commenting other than to say they are dealing with an ongoing incident.

York Rescue Boat helped stop boats from going under Lendal Bridge and there was a police van stationed on Ouse Bridge. Both bridges remained open to traffic throughout.

York Rescue Boat Tweeted that its volunteers, who had been called out at 12.30pm and helped provide rescue and safety cover for the incident as well as enforcing a river closure requested by North Yorkshire Police.

It said the team was stood down at 11.59pm and left the incident in the hands of North Yorkshire Police, the Yorkshire Ambulance Service and North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service.

“We understand that the incident was brought to a safe conclusion in the early hours of the morning," it said.

“This was the second call out for our volunteers on Wednesday.”

The first call out was to reports a woman had fallen in the river shortly before midnight at Blue Bridge Lane in York. A search was conducted until the woman was found safe on the riverbank.