The prisoner is dressed in only his underpants and trainers has been in a rooftop standoff with officers at a high-security North East prison this evening (Wednesday, June 21).
Emergency services were called to HMP Frankland on the outskirts of Durham after the inmate managed to scale a roof of the prison during the afternoon.
Officers in riot gear and a negotiator have been dealing with the incident for several hours as they man remains on the roof.
Read more: HMP Frankland incident LIVE: Standoff as inmate climbs roof
The Ministry of Justice has confirmed the ongoing incident and said members of staff were 'urgently' trying to bring the man down.
A Prison Service spokesperson said: “Staff are urgently working to bring the prisoner down safely.”
The prisoner was at one point seen brandishing what appeared to be a metal bar.
He was seen sitting and lying on his yellow and blue prison uniform as three uniformed officers and a negotiator spoke to him in a bid to get him to come down.
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They appeared to secured to the building with cables.
HMP Frankland houses some of the UK's most dangerous inmates.
The notorious jail, about five miles outside of the picturesque city, is home to 850 inmates, who are Category A, Category A High Risk and Category B, across eight wings.
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