The day elf ‘n’ safety went out of the window: Daredevil cleaner balances on third-floor ledge without a safety harness
You might think the photograph shows a burglar caught in the act. Or perhaps a gentleman caller trying to evade his lover’s husband.
In fact, it’s a snap of Britain’s least safety-conscious window-cleaner.
With no harness or scaffolding to stop him falling on to the busy streets below, he doesn’t seem to hold much truck with the health and safety brigade.
The daredevil rarely looked down as he nonchalantly carried out his task – seemingly indifferent to the danger.
The workman, whose identity remains a mystery, was spotted by a passer-by who filmed him climbing on to the third-floor ledge of the building in Bath, Somerset.
With the poise of a home-grown Batman, he edged himself around stone balustrades, and along precipitous ledges to reach the glass.
He then made his way to the level below, this time walking along the top of the narrow windows.
The bizarre scene outside the building – which houses the £85-a-night Milsoms hotel and a Loch Fyne restaurant on the ground floor – has been posted on YouTube.
The flabbergasted witness wrote: ‘I couldn’t believe my eyes when I spotted this guy. I’m no great advocate of the Health and Safety brigade, but…’
Staff at the building’s ground-floor restaurant said the incident was being dealt with by the chain’s owners Greene King. They have been in contact with the health and safety team at Bath & North East Somerset Council.
A spokesman for Loch Fyne Seafood Restaurants said: ‘We take health and safety extremely seriously and fully expect the same from external contractors. Therefore we were shocked by the footage.
‘When the video was brought to our attention we immediately moved to prevent this from happening again and have launched a full investigation into how this could have happened at all.'