TRAFFIC in York was brought to a complete standstill when a man threatened to throw himself from a road bridge over the A64.

Police were forced to close the road in both directions, as trained negotiators tried to coax the man down from the bridge near Fulford.

York became virtually gridlocked yesterday afternoon and early evening, as thousands of motorists tried to get in and out of the city using alternative routes.

Peter Evely, City of York Council's traffic chief, said today it had been the worst traffic situation he had dealt with in 30 years.

He has now asked the police to explain why the council was not told about the incident until more than an hour- and-a-half after it began.

Dozens of emergency personnel attended the scene, as stranded motorists on the A64 watched the drama unfold.

The man, from York and aged in his 30s, had positioned himself precariously on the bridge's outer parapet, where he paced intermittently.

He looked agitated and chain-smoked throughout the three-hour stand-off, while negotiators tried to keep him calm and talking.

The man, who wore a red England football shirt, jeans and white trainers, was eventually persuaded to get down of his own accord at 4.50pm and was taken into police custody "for his own safety".

A member of the public alerted officers to the situation at about 12.45pm yesterday.

Sergeant Andrew Farrar, of York Police, said it was a very successful operation, but apologised to motorists for the delays.

"Our main concern was for the safety of the male on the bridge and the public," he said.

"We had no option but to block off the A64 so no traffic could pass beneath him.

"Unfortunately, with it being such a busy trunk road, it caused mayhem.

"Our negotiators did a superb job. They built up a relationship with the man and gained his confidence to find out why he was on the bridge and in coming to some agreement about him getting down.

"It's a slow process, but was well worth the time, because he got down safely without suffering any injury."

Mr Evely revealed he was looking into a more permanent diversion system, as the A64 had been closed three times in the last six weeks because of traffic incidents.

One driver, who was stuck in his vehicle only metres from the bridge, said: "It's like something from a film. I feel very sad for him - he must have a lot of problems."

Updated: 10:56 Friday, July 11, 2003