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A teenage daredevil says he scaled an enormous crane in Leeds city centre so he could enjoy a 'stunning' view.

Adam Lockwood, 17, has revealed that he climbed over 400 feet on Saturday, October 20 without any safety gear, so he could watch the sunset from a unique vantage point.

He said: "I love climbing cranes, I always have, and since there was no security on site it seemed like the perfect moment - just going into sunset, no security, nice warm day, camera charged - perfect.

"The view is stunning, that’s one big reason why the risk is worth it. Nobody gets to see those views, except the crane operators obviously.

"When I’m at the top the feeling is indescribable, it’s like your senses are dialled to 11 and you feel like you can conquer the world."

"From the very bottom there’s ladders going up to the cabin, but then you get to the jib (the operating arm) and there’s no ladder, just thick metal beams and a straight drop down.

"The ladders up to the cabin are solid and have cages so you can’t fall off either, but the jib is serious, one slip up and you’re going straight down. It's a one-way ticket."

(Image: @TheLilNuisance)

The teenager decided to cross the Pennines and climb the machine, which is just off Belgrave Street, so he could get a birds-eye view of Leeds, after scaling cranes and other towering structures in his hometown of Manchester.

"It’s not just cranes I like climbing," he said. "We pretty much run the Manchester rooftop scene - climbing buildings and bus surfing.

"I also make rope swings off abandoned buildings, I like cranes because they are by far the tallest things out there, take Owen street for example, the crane was well over 100ft above the building it was attached to, making it higher than the current highest structure in Manchester.

"Even with small sites with small cranes, they’re still bigger than most things around them and since it’s completely open, with nothing either side of you, you can see for miles, you can see everything, it’s crazy."

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