Metro services were cancelled during the incident

Power to the Tyne and Wear Metro system had to be shut down when a teenager sat on power cables which supply up to 1,500 volts to trains.

Services were thrown into chaos as the 18-year-old man led police on a chase as he scrambled on a high-power electricity pylon at Sunderland's Park lane Metro station.

Firefighters said he was lucky to be alive after he sat on power cables, then ran along tracks for 300 yards.

The power was cut after operators saw the youth running along the tracks.

This is the most bizarre incident in the history of the Metro and it must be one of the most dangerous Metro spokesman

But there was a fear residual power in the cables could have killed him.

He evaded the police for more than an hour during the incident on Friday evening, by running between pylons and climbing out of reach as they got close.

His mother eventually talked him into climbing down.

He was arrested and held for questioning about an unrelated incident.

A spokesman for Metro operator Nexus said: "This is the most bizarre incident in the history of the Metro and it must be one of the most dangerous.

Extreme danger

"This young man put his own life in danger and the lives of the staff trying to get him down."

A spokesman for Northumbria Police said: "This was a very dangerous incident caused by a very foolish young man running away from police to try and evade arrest.

He stayed up the pylon for some time, creating a problem, putting himself in extreme danger and refusing to co-operate with police."

Teenager questioned

A spokesman for the Tyne and Wear Fire Brigade said: "He was incredibly lucky not to lose his life."

The Metro service was suspended from 1800 BST to 1900 BST from Park Lane, Sunderland Central, Pallion, University and South Hylton.

The police spokesman said the teenager, who has not been named, was still being questioned.