Man spends night on the roof of Parliament

Police, the fire brigade and ambulances were called to the scene

The man spent at least eight hours on top of Parliament

A 23 year-old-man has been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and trespassing after spending the night on the roof of Parliament.

Negotiators were called to the scene after police were made aware of the incident at around 9:15pm yesterday evening.

The man was detained at around 5am this morning and has been taken to a London police station.

Scotland Yard said that, at this stage, it was too early to know why the man had been on the roof.

London Fire Brigade and London Ambulance Service were also in attendance overnight.

Videos show the man, wearing a grey top and black trousers, pacing up and down between buttresses on the edge of the roof.

According to a BBC correspondent the police had been trying to talk to the man and there were occasional muffled shouts from the roof.

The rooftop has been the scene of stunts by campaign groups in the past, including activists demonstrating against plans for a third runway at Heathrow airport in 2008, and Greenpeace protesters who unfurled yellow banners reading: “Change the politics, change the environment.”

The condition of the Houses of Parliament has been called into question recently as Speaker John Bercow warned that the palace will have to be abandoned if significant repairs are not carried out. The cost to the taxpayer has been estimated at more than £3 billion.