This is the moment thrill-seekers bought traffic to a standstill while climbing an enormous 200ft building site crane.
Police and fire crew rushed to the scene after four men in their early 20s ascended the unmanned crane along Roden Street, Ilford, east London.
Onlookers were said to be screaming at men to “get down” during the stunt on Saturday afternoon.
Eyewitness Michael Fishenden, 27, said: “I was just pulling up to Sainsbury’s to do my weekly shop when I noticed a tonne of people outside a pub gazing up.
“Then I saw about half a dozen police cars, a riot van and a fire engine at the end of the road.
“From where I was stood I could see two guys at the very top of the crane and another by the driver’s seat.
“If they had fallen it would have been terrible.
“I’m a scaffolder by trade and I know exactly how terrifying it can be.
“The wind must have been pretty strong up there.
“We would have seen grown-men fall to their deaths and for what?
“I’m glad that wasn’t the case but it did seem pretty senseless.
“There were people shouting ‘get down’ and they seemed scared for them.
“Mind you I don’t really know why they were shouting it as they were so high up it’s not as if they could hear them.
“They didn’t seem to be struggling on their way down.
“They looked quite in control so my guess is it’s thrill-seekers.”
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “Police were called at 15:49hrs on Saturday, 19 January following reports that four men had climbed a crane on Roden Street in Ilford.
“Officers and the London Fire Brigade attended.
“All four, aged in their early 20s, were arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance and taken to an east London police station.
“They have since been released with no further action.”
by Olive Loveridge-Greene
