Woman safe after two-hour Wigan flats balcony stand-off with 999 workers.

Emergency services pleaded with a vulnerable woman to hand herself in amid fears she might jump 60ft from her Wigan block of flats.
Derby HouseDerby House
Derby House

She had deliberately locked herself out on the balcony of her seventh-floor home at Derby House in Scholes and during a two-hour stand-off, neighbours and onlookers reported that she at times negotiated with police inside but also hurled abuse at them and other 999 workers below.

Manchester Central fire station’s huge turntable platform was brought to the scene as the drama unfolded at 9.30pm on Sunday with Wigan firefighters on standby to bring her down on a ladder if necessary.

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Eventually the woman, who was said to be in her 30s, was persuaded to unlock the balcony door and surrender, reportedly after a neighbour went away to fetch her brother.

Crew manager from Wigan fire station, Steve Waygood, said: “We only took an advisory role in the end.

"The aerial platform was on standby should she have chosen to come down by ladder and it would easily reached her, but in the end it was not needed.

“The lady was distressed but happily the incident was resolved without her coming to any harm.”

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It was reported to wigantoday that the woman was not a resident of the flat and that that particular home has been the target for all kinds of anti-social behaviour, including drug-related trouble in the past.

One householder said: "The residents are seriously fed up with the trouble this place brings.

"It's an absolute joke that the authorities aren't doing anything to sort this out."

The police were contacted for details but at the time of publication no response had been forthcoming.

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