Stanley Park run cancelled as man climbs on pavilion roof

Parkrun, which only launched in the resort earlier this month, was called off as police officers talked to the man on Saturday morning close to the run’s finish line, while paramedics were also reportedly on standby nearby.

The stand-off started at 7.45am and also threatened to affect a separate Stanley Park 10k race – though that event ultimately went ahead unaffected later in the morning.

A spokesman for Lancashire Police said the man, in his 20s, came down of his own accord at 8.30am.

He was sectioned under section 136 of the Mental Health Act (MHA), he said, and taken to A&E at Blackpool Victoria Hospital before being moved to mental health facility The Harbour in Marton.

Runners were told of the cancellation by organisers on Facebook, who blamed it on an ‘incident’, though a number who didn’t see the notice still turned up and ran anyway, it is understood.

S136 of the MHA is used to detain people for up to 72 hours so their mental health can be assessed, and so police can get them to safety.