'Highly irresponsible': Shocking footage shows man risking his life to climb iconic Bristol tower

Warning: Do not attempt this

Shocking footage has emerged online of a person scaling a Bristol landmark.

The video shows a lone, anonymous climber without safety equipment, accessing the Purdown BT Tower in Stoke Park.

In a vertigo-inducing ascent he films himself hauling up the base of the 70-metre tall structure and climbing right to the top.

Avon and Somerset Constabulary has viewed the daredevil's dangerous exploits.

A spokesman said: "Having reviewed the footage and checked with officers this appears to be an incident of civil trespass."

A BT spokesperson said: “This is a highly irresponsible act by the trespasser, particularly when communication services are being relied upon by everyone.

"Our engineers and the emergency services’ resources are focused on dealing with the coronavirus crisis.

“Security measures are in place and there are clear signs warning people not to enter this site.”

Purdown BT Tower, used for telecommunications and radio broadcasting, was built in 1970 and is located on a hill just north of Bristol.

It is a prominent landmark, added as a Valued Landmark by Bristol City Council and is visible from much of the city.

It is used mainly for point-to-point microwave links and forms part of the British Telecom microwave network. It is one of twelve reinforced concrete towers owned by BT in the UK and one of the few communication towers built of reinforced concrete.

The stunt comes more than a year after a man was arrested for 'public nuisance' after climbing one of the towers on the M48 Severn Bridge to fly a drone off it.