Police officers coaxed to safety a young man who threatened to jump from a bridge over a busy Bradford road.

The man, thought to be in his 20s, was found straddling the Usher Street road bridge, 30 feet above Wakefield Road at Bowling this morning.

Police were alerted at about 8.20am by the man, who called them on his mobile phone and said he was going to jump from the bridge.

Officers sealed off the road and began negotiating with him from a safe distance. Paramedics were also called to the scene.

After more than an hour, the man agreed to climb down and walked with officers to a waiting ambulance.

He was taken to Bradford Royal Infirmary for treatment to a bump on the head.

A police spokesman said: "The man had had personal difficulties over Christmas and was unhappy. He called us in what you could describe as a cry for help.

"Officers talked to him about life generally and managed to persuade him to come down. He went to hospital and hopefully will get the help he needs."