A police officer has said there are "no signs of life" from a man trapped on top of a 290ft chimney in Carlisle.
A huge emergency rescue effort is underway to remove the man from Dixon's Chimney after police were called to the scene at around 2am this morning.
Police reported that there has been "no contact with the man for some time" in a statement at around 12.30pm.
Sky News reporter Tom Parmenter has said that an officer from Cumbria Police told him there are "no signs of life" from the man - but the force is yet to officially give an update on his condition.
An industrial-scale cherry picker was brought to the scene this afternoon to assist the "extremely complex and challenging" rescue effort.
The public are being asked to avoid the area.
Superintendent Matt Kennerley of Cumbria Constabulary said: “We are looking at various options to rescue this man safely. So far the multi-agency response has seen us utilise technology including drones.
“A helicopter has been used to try to rescue the man and efforts have been made to try to drop a technical rescue team onto the chimney to rescue him.
“These two attempts have not been successful so far due to concerns over how securely the man is attached to the ladder at the top of the chimney – and the potential danger of backdrafts from the helicopter.
“These concerns over how securely he is attached have also prevented us from sending someone up the ladder from the bottom. The ladder is also damaged.
“Ladders used by Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service will be mobilised to see if they can assist while we are awaiting the arrival of the cherry picker.
“This is an extremely complex and rare incident and requires the specialisms of all the agencies to work together.
“We are very concerned about the man involved and all those involved in this operation are working tirelessly to bring this to a safe conclusion for all.
“Police officers are with the man’s family offering them support throughout this.”
