A drunken man stunned postal workers when he climbed 110ft up a building site crane and refused to come down.

Police were alerted to the unfolding drama at about 11.30pm last night by staff at the Royal Mail sorting office, in Leeman Road.

Thay had seen the man climb the crane on the neighbouring Taywood Homes luxury apartments site.

PC Phil Low, of York Police, said: "He wasn't threatening to throw himself off.

"He was just drunk and abusive rather than suicidal.

"Four police officers went to see what was going on. The fire brigade were called and so were the ambulance service.

"He came down of his own accord at 12.25am after he had been up there an hour.

"He was arrested for being drunk and disorderly and taken to Selby police station."

Giles Greenwood, project manager working for Taylor Woodrow Construction, on the Taywood Homes Westgate, York, development, said: "There is a trap door in the floor of the cab and that was locked.

"The power is in an isolator at the bottom of the crane and that is padlocked. The site is fenced and locked and the crane has a fence around the bottom. Unfortunately we get this from time to time.

"There is a static guard on duty looking after the offices, then every hour he goes on patrol around the site.

"The security guard has done a report and it says he was alerted to the incident by the Royal Mail because it happened between his patrols around the site.

"We will have to have a look at security. We did have a serious look at the site when we started, we complied with everything that we've been advised of, but obviously an incident like this will make us have a look at things for a third time.

"It as obviously a very stupid thing to do. He could have injured himself and others."

Updated: 10:51 Tuesday, May 15, 2001