Man on railway track halts trains

Police officers were called to the dramatic scene on the railway bridge near Ince Moss at around 9.50am on Friday.

The man remained in position for around four hours before negotiators finally managed to talk him down.

He was brought down safely from the line and was taken away in an ambulance.

The fire service put canoes in the Leigh branch of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal in case a rescue from the water was necessary.

Trains on the line between Wigan North Western and St Helens had to be stopped, including one which was on the track in the area at the time of the initial incident, and did not start running again until 2pm.