Northampton Giggling Sausage incident: 'He was running across the rooftops, trying to escape into people's attics'

Police were called to the Giggling Sausage in London Road, Delapre, at about 3.40am today (Thursday) after a member of the public spotted a man kicking a hole in the bottom of the cafe's door.

Police were on the scene within minutes and arrived to see the man in mid-escape, halfway out of the hole.

Seeing the officers, he was left with no choice but to reverse on all fours and flee out the back of the cafe.

A witness said: "The officers lost him briefly before they realised he had climbed on the roof at the back. He was trying to hide."

The man must have then clambered across the rooftops of the adjoining terraced houses as he then started to kick through the skylight of an attic half-a-dozen houses up the road.

He was spotted by the police helicopter which had arrived by then, and he doubled back the other way, trying to break into the attic next door to the cafe.

But officers were ahead of him and a police negotiator was already waiting below.

A witness said: "It was a bit of a stand-off for a long time and he ended up staying up there for hours. He was talking about jumping off."

Police eventually persuaded him to come down at about 6.45am.

Officers later confirmed they had arrested a man aged 34 for criminal damage and burglary.