HUNDREDS of motorists were held up after a distressed man was seen on the wrong side of the road bridge over the River Teign at Newton Abbot yesterday.

Police were called to the location at 3pm after receiving ‘concern for welfare’ calls about the man.

Traffic in both directions was stopped while officers talked to the individual from his precarious perch on Besigheim Way.

Officers persuaded the person, who has not been named, to remove himself from the place of danger.

A police spokesman confirmed: ‘The man talked to officers and climbed back on to the right side of the bridge.’

He was left in the care of paramedics who took him away in an ambulance.

One motorist at the scene said: ‘We thought we’d be stuck for there for ages – but the cops sorted it out very quickly, which was a relief.

‘We were delayed by about 10 minutes on our way in to Newton Abbot. The traffic queue leaving town was much longer.’