A KENDAL man climbed to the top of a 285-foot bridge in windy and rainy conditions - without a harness.

Twenty-one-year-old Kain Hogg said public reaction to his climb up the Silver Jubilee Bridge in Halton, Cheshire had been ‘mixed’ and acknowledged it was a ‘relatively reckless’ thing to do.

Mr Hogg said weather conditions were very poor when he performed the stunt with two other men - Alfie Crane and Stuart Parr, both 19 and from Liverpool. They reached the top of the bridge around 3.30am.

“The bridge was opened in 1961 by Princess Alexandra and this is the main reason why we wanted to climb the landmark,” said Mr Hogg.

“We also wanted a challenge as it was a very tough climb due to the weather conditions.

“It was very, very windy and it rained the entire time, but due to our professionalism/experience we were able to conquer the climb safely within our limit.

“We were not frightened but it was a tough challenge.”

It took the trio around 15 minutes to ascend and 10 to climb down.

“As it was raining and very windy we were slipping coming back to the bottom,” said Mr Hogg.

Previous climbs have taken him up buildings in Canary Wharf, London and The Big One rollercoaster in Blackpool - the latter stunt being condemned as ‘irresponsible’ by Blackpool Pleasure Beach bosses.

After the Silver Jubilee Bridge climb, Mr Hogg said he and the other two men then tried to ascend the nearby Mersey Gateway Bridge but were removed by police before they could do so.

A spokeswoman for Cheshire Constabulary confirmed police escorted the men off the bridge.

Mr Hogg said other climbs that were in the pipeline were The Kelpies - 100-foot sculptures depicting horse heads near Falkirk, Scotland - Anfield football stadium in Liverpool and, potentially, the Elizabeth Tower in London, which houses the bell known as Big Ben.