Woman who climbed tree in distress taken to place of safety after three hours

A young woman who climbed to the top of a tall tree in Swindon whilst in a distressed state was taken to a place of safety last night.

The incident sparked a major emergency services response with eight fire vehicles, five ambulance vehicles and police working in a field off Marlborough Road from around 7pm.

The woman had reportedly climbed around 30 feet (or nine metres) to the top of a large tree whilst suffering a mental health episode. It’s not clear how long she had been in the tree but 999 crews were at the scene for at least three hours before she was down safely.

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Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service had two rope rescue units – from Trowbridge and Chippenham – at the scene alongside South Western Ambulance Service’s specialist Hazardous Area Response Teams (HART) from Bristol.

There were also three fire engines, an aerial platform appliance, two ambulances and an ambulance rapid response vehicle at the incident.

Wiltshire Police says emergency services stood down at 10.20pm, with the patient being taken to a place of safety for treatment.

If you are struggling with your mental health, please reach out for support. Contact the Samaritans in confidence and for free, 24 hours a day 365 days a year, on 116 123. You can also visit our page of Mental Health Helplines to view a list of relevant organisations.

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