POLICE talked a man down from Wearmouth Bridge in Sunderland tonight.

The emergency services were called to help the man, described as distressed, shortly after 5pm tonight.

He had climbed over safety railings on the west side of the bridge.

Police and lifeboat crews attended the scene, as well as coastguard officials.

A short time later police officers talked the man into climbing back over the railings.

Ian Rowan, helmsman at Sunderland RNLI, said: “As we were preparing to launch the lifeboat, Humber Coastguard informed us that the incident had been successfully resolved, as police officers had managed to talk the man into climbing back over the railings to safety.”