A man dressed as Dracula threatened to throw himself off a viaduct.

Police were alerted after a man dressed as a vampire climbed the Horden Viaduct, Sunderland, and threatened to throw himself 100ft to the ground.

It took officers three hours to talk the man into coming down before he was arrested and taken to Peterlee Police Station.

He was then issued with an £80 on the spot fine for trespassing on a railway line before being released.

A spokesman for Peterlee Police said: "It was a reported missing from home who was found on the Horden Viaduct dressed in a Dracula suit and threatening to jump.

He was spoken to for around three hours and arrested and given an £80 on the spot fine for trespassing on a railway line."

British Transport Police had to be called to the incident to close the line to on-coming trains.

The police spokesman added: "People shouldn't go anywhere near a railway line in the interest of safety for themselves and other people."