Fife man caused Forth Road Bridge closure after swinging from suspension cable

A Fife man caused disruption for motorists on the Forth Road Bridge when he climbed up above the roadway and swung from a cable.

Darren Petrie clambered up on to a suspension cable and then crossed over the central beam.

His actions caused traffic to be brought to a halt on both carriageways and the closure of the shipping channel below.

Petrie, 28, of Tulloch Court, Cowdenbeath, appeared for sentencing at Dunfermline Sheriff Court.

He admitted that on January 22 at the Forth Road Bridge he behaved in a threatening or abusive manner.

He stood on the main suspension cable of the north tower of the bridge causing all southbound traffic to be stopped.

Petrie then crossed over the central support beam, causing all northbound traffic to be halted and the shipping channel underneath to be closed.

Sheriff Michael Fletcher delayed sentencing to obtain a psychiatric report and Petrie will return to court on March 30.

The incident occurred a month after the bridge had been closed for almost three weeks after the discovery of a structural defect.