A MAN died after he fell 100ft from a railway viaduct yesterday.

Police said the man, who was in his early 40s and from the Durham area, was thought to have been receiving outpatient treatment at a psychiatric hospital near the viaduct, in Durham city centre.

Emergency services were called to the viaduct, which carries the East Coast Main Line, just after 11.30am after people saw a man run along the line and climb safety rails.

Before help could arrive, the man fell and landed on a patch of grass in North Road.

A police spokesman said: "When paramedics arrived, they found the victim critically injured, but with some faint signs of life.

"However, despite being rushed to the nearby University Hospital of North Durham, he was declared dead shortly after arrival.

"There are no suspicious circumstances."

The man is not being named until his relatives have been traced.

An inquest will open this week.