'French Spider-Man' climbs 750ft building with his bare hands

A daredevil climber known as the French Spiderman has sparked a major police operation in the City as he scaled one of London's tallest buildings with his bare hands.

Alain Robert, whose feats have included climbing Dubai's 2,717ft (828m) Burj Khalifa, free-climbed the 750ft (230m) Heron Tower in the City of London.

The climber's antics, which caused the large police response, are understood to be a PR stunt for Dead Man’s Fingers rum.

City of London Police confirmed they had arrested a 56-year-old man for "causing public nuisance".

Uniformed officers arrived at 1.37pm, set up a taped cordon stopping traffic around the building and ushered the growing crowd to move back and keep out of the road.

Commander Karen Baxter condemned the stunt, accusing the daredevil of diverting resources.

She said: "The incident this afternoon has had a considerable impact on police, other emergency services and the local community.

"Our officers, the London Fire Brigade and the London Ambulance Service all attended this incident taking them away from genuine emergencies.

"Road closures meant a significant disturbance to local transport and businesses and their staff located in the building were also considerably affected.

"While the incident has caused immense disruption to everyday business in the City of London it also posed a significant level of risk to the safety of people in and around Heron Tower at the time."

Road closures are in place on Camomile Street to Bevis Marks due to Mr Robert's stunt, City of London police said. 

Officials urged people to avoid the area during the ascent. 

The Heron Tower, officially 110 Bishopsgate,  stands at 755 ft (230m) tall, including its 92 ft (28m) mast.

Shocked office workers shared pictures online as the urban climber undertook his surprise feat outside their windows.

Michael Holt tweeted: "This guy is currently scaling our office. 37th floor and counting..."

The 56-year-old daredevil, who is known for scaling skyscrapers with his bare hands, said before his climb: "I fully feel alive when my life is at stake. 

"It may sound a bit scary and crazy but this is the way it is."

The illegal ascent of the tower - now known as the Salesforce Tower - involved with no safety gear, without a rope and with bare hands.

City of London officers arrived at 1.37pm, set up a taped cordon stopping traffic around the building and ushered the growing crowd to move back and keep out of the road.

The crowd, pushed back to about 150m away from the building, burst into cheers when Mr Robert waved from about three-quarters of the way up the skyscraper at 1.59pm.

Mr Robert raised his arms to cheers as he reached the top at 2.14pm.

Evening Standard.