POLICE spent four hours trying to talk down a man who climbed 100ft up scaffolding on the derelict Aspen House this morning.

The Adver understands the 28-year-old was under the influence of a legal high when he decided to scale the 12-storey Swindon Council owned building at 2am.

The police were called to the scene who asked for fire crews to attend. A unit from Swindon attended along with specialist rope units from Chippenham and Trowbridge. The man climbed down at 6am and was arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage.

On Monday, the council and Wiltshire Police, issued a warning calling for people to stop climbing Aspen House after a group of men were seen throwing objects from the roof over the weekend.

Last year, Aspen House, a former office block, was purchased by the council as part of the ongoing process to regenerate the town centre.

Because it was in such poor condition it was decided to bring the building down.