Fire crews staged a dramatic rooftop rescue after a postman heard cries for help while on his morning rounds.

Firefighters were called to the Oaks Resource Centre in Oakworth Road, Keighley, just before 5am today.

Sub officer Paul Taylor, of Keighley fire station, said: "For some reason, the 34-year-old man had climbed on to a high, flat roof where he had become stuck.

"It appears that, by the time he was rescued, he had been up there, exposed to the elements, for three or four hours."

Officers called in a specialist extending ladder, fitted with a cage, to aid the operation. They waited until police arrived on the scene to pluck the man to safety. He was then ferried to Airdale General Hospital, suffering from exposure.

Sub officer Taylor said: "It was quite a strange situation. I have no idea what he was doing up there."

A police spokesman confirmed officers were called to the scene and said there would be no criminal investigation.

It is believed the man, who was not seriously hurt, suffers from mental health problems.