A man stabbed a person in Blackpool before causing a lengthy stand-off with police.

Police were called to a report of a stabbing at around 10.30am on Tuesday, July 4. It was reported that a man in his 20s had received a stab wound to the leg.

Stefan Taylor was spotted by police officers shortly afterward in Blackpool town centre, but he ran off when told to stop.

He ran to North Pier and scaled the poles of the pier to put himself on the wrong side of the railings then refused to get down.

He became verbally abusive to police and caused damage to the pier by ripping bricks from the brickwork and throwing them toward officers. He also snapped the cables that connect the CCTV on the pier, causing further damage.

Taylor refused to engage with police and stayed in his place on the pier for more than two hours and the concern for his safety required a large number of resources from both police and other emergency services.

When he was eventually arrested after a police negotiator talked him down, he was found with cannabis on him and was arrested for that, as well as the stabbing and damage.

Taylor, 36, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to section 20 wounding, criminal damage, intentionally and recklessly causing a public nuisance, and possession of class B drugs.

He appeared at Preston Crown Court yesterday (Thursday, November 7) and was jailed for five years.