High drama unfolded in Selby when a man threatened to throw himself 30ft from a house roof, after an alleged assault.

The distressed man's father had to be called to the scene to calm down his son as he allegedly threatened to jump and tried to uproot slates and a chimney-pot.

A spokeswoman for North Yorkshire Police, said the incident began when the man's girlfriend alerted them at 8.50pm last night from her home in Buckle Court.

He left the house before police officers arrived, but was allegedly spotted by a CCTV camera an hour later on a house roof at Finkle Street, behind the car park at Somerfield supermarket.

The man, who was "extremely agitated" and was believed to have been drinking, had allegedly climbed onto a chimney-pot and was threatening to jump.

A Selby fire and ambulance crew attended the scene, along with several police officers.

The area was sealed off to the public.

The police spokeswoman said the man was eventually coaxed down by his father.

Sub-officer Colin Hunter, of North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, told the Evening Press: "We sent one of our men up to the roof with a ladder and brought him down. He was extremely agitated and wouldn't let anyone near him before his father turned up.

"Thankfully no-one was hurt."

Sub-officer Hunter said the man kept screaming that he was going to jump and repeatedly took his shirt off and waved it round his head.

The police spokeswoman said he had attempted to dislodge the chimney stack and roof tiles.

* A Selby man was charged with assault and a public order offence after an incident last night. He will appear before Selby magistrates on June 21

Updated: 14:22 Thursday, June 14, 2001