It is sometimes amazing what people will do after a few drinks. In this particular story, two friends got drunk on a night out in Coventry on Sunday night and had to be rescued by firefighters after climbing the tower of the Coventry Cathedral ruins. While they were no doubt grateful for the rescue, they were then arrested under suspicion of trespass for their drunken prank.
Images were released showing the drunken pair hanging on to concrete pillars for dear life after climbing the 295 foot high ruins. A Coventry Cathedral spokesperson says they take incidents like this very seriously and will be reviewing their security procedures.
Climbing the Coventry Cathedral ruins
The 14th-century ruins of the old Cathedral are, according to a report by the Coventry Telegraph, the third tallest tower in England. However, the two friends, aged 36 and 25, decided to climb up anyway. The problem came when they couldn’t get down again. Emergency services received a call at 10:50 PM on Sunday night to advise that two people were stuck after climbing the ruins. The two men were seen to be hanging on for dear life at the top of the ruined tower.
Two arrested after 'drunkenly' scaling Coventry Cathedral https://t.co/XOatVH3OqX pic.twitter.com/obZVMDjP0v
— BBC Midlands Today (@bbcmtd) August 13, 2018
As reported by ITV News, a hydraulic platform, usually utilised for fighting fires, was used to return the two men safely “into the arms of the police,” before being arrested on possible trespassing charges.
According to the West Midlands Ambulance Service, they had sent out an ambulance with one paramedic to assess the two men once they had been rescued from the tower of the cathedral. As neither man wanted to go to the hospital, they were discharged by the ambulance service but handed over to the cops. The West Midlands Police thanked the firefighters and ambulance service for helping the men back down to earth following their late night climbing spree.
According to the Coventry Telegraph, the men continued to be questioned by police on Monday.
Not the brightest thing to be doing on a night out,2 adult men decided it was a good idea to scale Coventry Cathedral endangering themselves and others for a laugh.many thanks to @_coventryfire @OFFICIALWMAS @WMPolice in assisting. Both have been arrested for there actions #fools pic.twitter.com/JQfTvFygWy
— pete drummond (@petedrummond666) August 12, 2018
A West Midlands Fire Service spokesperson, Pete Drummond, commented on Twitter that what they did was “not the brightest thing” to do on a drunken night out.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Coventry Cathedral said they take their security matters very seriously and will now review their procedures following Sunday night’s incident.
About the Coventry Cathedral ruins
The original Gothic Coventry Cathedral was bombed to the ground during World War II and remains a ruined shell with the tower still standing high enough for pranksters to decide to climb. The ruins remain next to the newly built Coventry Cathedral, which was constructed in 1962.