VIDEO: School children play dangerously close to edge of Northampton town centre rooftops

A shock video showing two young boys playing dangerously close to the edge of a set of Northampton town centre rooftops has gone viral.
The shock video shows two young boys playing on the rooftops above Abington Street.The shock video shows two young boys playing on the rooftops above Abington Street.
The shock video shows two young boys playing on the rooftops above Abington Street.

The short clip filmed by recruitment consult Darren Michael from the window of the Pertemps offices in Abington Street has been viewed more than 50,000 times online in the space of a day.

It shows two children in school uniform running across the rooftops of businesses on Abington Street, perilously close to the ledge of a 20-metre drop onto the high street.

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Mr Michael, 37, said the young boys were running up and down the row of buildings - between the Cash Converter store and Hollywood Nails - for 15 minutes before heading back down again.

The shock video shows two young boys playing on the rooftops above Abington Street.The shock video shows two young boys playing on the rooftops above Abington Street.
The shock video shows two young boys playing on the rooftops above Abington Street.

He said: "We were sat just opposite the roof they were jumping on.

"It was a bit scary to witness, I just had this horrible image of them falling off.

"They were really running fast - that was the worrying thing.

"At one point they were stood on the chimney above Natwest.

The boys enter the rooftop via an access stairwell above Cash Converters.The boys enter the rooftop via an access stairwell above Cash Converters.
The boys enter the rooftop via an access stairwell above Cash Converters.
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"I think they were playing up to their girlfriends - it certainly seemed like they were being egged on by someone on the ground."

Mr Michael, who has two children of his own, said people were appealing to the two boys to get down from the rooftops.

He called the police as the incident was taking place yesterday at around 5pm, but the youngsters made their way down via an access stairwell above Cash Converter before officers arrived.

PC Jaymi Mackenzie from the anti-social behaviour team at Northamptonshire Police said: “Northamptonshire Police takes this kind of anti-social behaviour extremely seriously and, together with the county’s Anti-Social Behaviour Unit, we are working closely with partner agencies to crack down on this irresponsible and dangerous behaviour.

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“Not only could those taking part seriously injure or even kill themselves, they could also harm innocent members of the public.

“We have begun compiling evidence from witnesses and are making use of CCTV cameras, and we will take appropriate action against those involved regardless of their age. In some cases we may consider taking action against parents of repeat offenders”

“We cannot stress enough the dangers of young people engaging in this kind of thrill-seeking behaviour and would urge parents and carers to speak to their children about the risks, so they understand how something they may see as exciting and fun is extremely dangerous and could be a criminal offence.

“Anyone with information about those involved in this kind of activity is asked to call Northamptonshire Police on 101 or the Anti-Social Behaviour Unit on 01604 838163. If an incident is in progress, please call 999.”