A MAN has been detained under the Mental Health Act after a police incident which forced a busy road to shut.

Emergency services were called to the A134 at the North Station roundabout, Colchester, today at 11.45am.

Members of the public had raised the alarm after becoming concerned for the welfare of a man who was on a railway bridge over North Station Road.

The road below had to be closed in both directions while emergency services worked at the scene in order to bring the man down safely.

A spokesman for Essex Police said: “We were called to concerns for the welfare of a man in North Station Road at around 11.45am today.

“We closed the road while the incident was ongoing.

“We have now detained a man under the Mental Health Act and the roads have re-opened.”

Drivers faced long delays as traffic was stopped from passing under the railway bridge, which connects the town centre to the north of the town and facilities including Colchester General Hospital.

Several police and fire service vehicles were called in to help manage the closure.

Officers allowed traffic to go through the area in waves, however drivers reported being stuck in the queues for up to an hour.

Bus companies First Essex, Arriva and Chambers were forced to divert services via Cowdray Avenue and Ipswich Road to bypass the road closure.

Resident Johan Mahoney-Berg was on a First Essex 61 service travelling from the town centre when it was forced to reroute.

He said: “The driver announced they were terminating the bus at Tesco Highwoods after travelling down Ipswich Road and not going to the hospital.

“We were heading to Asda but we were told we would have to get off at the Albert roundabout as the buses were not running that way.

“There was no way people could get from the town to the hospital on a bus.”

Essex Fire and Rescue Service confirmed crews attended on request from Essex Police.

The road reopened at about 2pm.

READ MORE: A134 reopens after police incident at North Station in Colchester