A "TERRIFIED" man scaled the roof of a Grimsby terrace and "screamed like a werewolf" as residents watched in horror.
Humberside Police spent several hours trying to talk the man, believed to be in his 20s, down from the roof of his home in Sixhills Street, Grimsby.
Fearing for his safety, a crowd gathered by the corners of Convamore Road and Donnington Street, at either end of the cordon.
One resident, who did not want to be named, woke up to his screams and ran out of his house to find out what was happening.
He said: "I came out to hear him screaming. I didn't know what it was at first. I thought it was people fighting. Then I saw him running up and down the roof.
"I was scared he was going to fall – if he had, it would have been nasty."
Residents described his screams as those made by a werewolf or an ape.
The man was barefoot, wore tracksuit bottoms and a patterned T-shirt, which was ripped up each side.
Witnesses believed he was hallucinating, as he tugged at his clothing, rocked on his heels, punched at the air and tore a television aerial off the chimney while officers tried to calm him down.
Another resident, who did not want to be named, said: "He looks like he is hallucinating, like he is running away from something coming up both sides of the house and onto the roof. It looks like he can see something trying to get him."
Specially-trained police negotiators arrived at the scene approximately three hours after officers were called to the address.
Firefighters and East Midlands Ambulance paramedics were also on standby while the police helicopter circled above.
Eventually the crowds were moved on by the PCSO manning the cordon after negotiators claimed their presence was upsetting the man.
Police were initially called just after 11am. The road was shut off to pedestrians and vehicles, causing chaos for parents on the afternoon school run, as well as workers, because Sixhills is used as a cut-through to Edward Heneage Primary Academy and Ladysmith Road.
One resident said: "It is a waste of police time. He is just attention seeking."
But others hoped he would not fall. One added: "It is so scary to watch. I just hope he is okay."
Eventually, the man came down from the roof and the road was re-opened between 6.30pm and 7pm.
A Humberside Police spokesperson said: "Officers were called following a concern for the safety of a man who had made his way onto the roof of an address."
