Police arrest man found on Westminster parliament roof

British police have arrested a man after he was seen walking on the roof of Britain’s parliament buildings for several hours overnight.

Emergency services including police negotiators, London Fire Brigade and London Ambulance Service were called when the 23-year-old was seen on the top of the Palace of Westminster just after 9pm on Saturday night.

He was detained about eight hours later on suspicion of criminal damage and trespassing and taken to a police station.

In a statement Scotland Yard said: "At this stage it is too early to ascertain the reason as to why the man was trespassing on the roof."

The roof has been the scene of stunts by campaign groups in the past, including by protesters demonstrating against plans for a third runway at Heathrow Airport in 2008, and Greenpeace a year later.