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Severn Bridge shut down after man climbs to top to fly a drone

The Severn Bridge that connects England to Wales was shut down earlier today after a man had climbed the bridge to fly a drone from the top. The drone incident follows the Gatwick Airport drone fiasco that took place right before the Holidays.

Severn Bridge shut down

The Severn Bridge connects England and Wales. The bridge was shut down earlier today after a man had scaled the 154-foot structure to fly a drone from the top, according to BBC News.

Police stopped all traffic on the M48, the older of two Severn crossings after a ‘concern for welfare.’ According to police:

“Officers attended the M48 Severn Bridge at 8:10 this morning after concerns were raised for a man who appeared to have climbed one of the towers and was flying a drone off it.”

A man in his 20s came down voluntarily and was immediately arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance.

The original Severn Bridge was opened in 1966 as a toll road. Currently, it is free to cross.

The Severn Bridge closing follows the Gatwick Airport drone fiasco that caused around 1,000 flights to be canceled or diverted, disrupting travel plans for 140,000 people. No proof of any drone involvement in the Gatwick story has surfaced. It is suspected that police drones may have been sighted.

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Avatar for Haye Kesteloo Haye Kesteloo

Haye Kesteloo is the Editor in Chief and Main Writer at DroneDJ, where he covers all drone related news and writes product reviews. He also contributes to the other sites in the 9to5Mac group such as; 9to5Mac, 9to5Google, 9to5Toys and Electrek. Haye can be reached at haye@dronedj.com or @hayekesteloo