A man was talked down by police after he threatened to jump 60ft from a roof wearing just a pair of red, white and blue boxer shorts.

A trained police negotiator persuaded the 25-year-old to come down almost two hours after the man climbed on to the roof.

The man, believed to be a patient at nearby Westbourne Hospital, inched his way down the fire escape of the four-storey building in Eaton Road, Hove.

Crowds gathered as the drama unfolded just after noon yesterday. A neighbour raised the alarm.

Brian Ralph, of nearby Eaton Gardens, said: "The man was standing on the chimney stack screaming something but I couldn't make out what he was saying.

"He seemed to be threatening to throw himself off the chimney stack."

Nicola Turner, 29, of Bellingham Crescent, Hove, said: " I saw him standing up there wearing just a pair of Union flag boxer shorts.

"A few minutes later, a couple of police cars arrived followed by the fire brigade and an ambulance.

"The police closed the road and stopped people walking passed."

Police detained the man under the Mental Health Act and took him to Brighton police station for questioning.

Inspector Mark Powles said: "He appears to have got on to the roof via a fire escape directly from the pavement.

"He was about 60ft up, standing next to some chimney pots and was clearly in danger.

"We were able to get some officers talking to the man from the fire escape at the side of the building but he was reluctant to come down.

"It was clearly a critical situation and it was a question of talking to him patiently, trying to calm him down and finding out what the problem was.

"He eventually agreed to come down and I'm very pleased it ended with no one getting hurt."