Mystery of injured man stuck on roof

Officers said they had received a call to the scene at around 4.30am and found the 23-year-old on top of a premises in Wellgate with what were described as “foot and ankle injuries”.

The road was closed from 5am and the man was finally removed from the scene at around 9.45am and taken to Rotherham District General Hospital for treatment.

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue used a rescue platform to reach the man, and specialist paramedics were lifted up onto the roof to stabilise the man’s injury before he was brought down.

The operation caused some disruption to traffic and businesspeople in the area, who were not allowed inside the cordon to open their shops until the man was rescued.

One woman at the scene said it was thought that the victim had fallen and injured himself while trying to steal lead from the roof, but this was not confirmed by police yesterday.

A spokesman said: “We don’t believe this was a suicide bid and we have now started an investigation to try and find out what the man was doing up there.”

Officers in Barnsley also made an appeal yesterday for help in catching a group of young teenage boys who were seen breaking into a car compound in the town centre.

Detectives investigating the burglary said the gang of boys who were aged 13-17, had stolen the keys to vehicles and a number of trade plates.

They also smashed the windows of five cars and vandalised a paint shed at the premises in Peel Street.

Anyone with information about the break-in, which happened between 6.45pm and 7.30pm on Sunday, April 10 should call South Yorkshire Police on 0114 220 2020.