Police try to negotiate with man threatening to jump from flyover for more than 18 hours

This article is more than 10 years old

This article is more than 10 years old

Traffic in the centre of Birmingham has been brought to virtual standstill while police continue to negotiate with a man who has been threatening to jump off a flyover for more than 18 hours.

Specialist crisis negotiators from West Midlands police attended the scene in the city centre through the night, trying to coax the man from railings above Paradise Circus.

The raised roundabout, which is close to the ICC centre where the Conservative party is due to start its conference on Sunday, stands at the junction of several routes into the centre of Birmingham.

Officers were called to the roundabout by a member of the public at 3.45pm yesterday.

The chief Inspector of West Midlands police, Sean Russell, said: "We fully appreciate the disruption and inconvenience this has caused to commuters and we ask them for their continuing patience and understanding as we enter a second day of this incident.

"There will inevitably be significant disruption to traffic during rush hour, but we ask that people try and avoid the area around Paradise Circus if at all possible and possibly consider using public transport."

Long delays are reported on many of the city's roads and some buildings have been forced to close.

A police spokesman said cordons had been put in place to protect members of the public passing underneath the bridge and to stop passers-by "from having an impact on the man's actions or his state of mind".

Police said the road at Paradise Circus from Great Charles Street Queensway and Queensway Tunnel at Newhall Street would remain closed until the situation was resolved. Paradise Forum was closed to pedestrians.

Venues that have been closed include the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and the Birmingham Conservatoire.