Archway Bridge: man falls to death and woman threatens to jump

A woman threatened to jump from Archway Bridge just a day after a man fell to his death from the same spot, say police.

On Monday, a man in his 30s was pronounced dead by paramedics after falling onto the southbound carriageway of Archway Road, Highgate, at around 12.30pm.

Then on Tuesday at around 1pm, passers-by called police to a woman on the bridge said to be threatening to throw herself off.

By the time officers arrived she had left, but was found safe in Seven Sisters Road, Holloway.

There were three fatal falls at the bridge in the space of just a few weeks in October and November last year. Another woman was also talked down from the bridge last year by members of the public.

The latest incidents come as campaigners continue to call for a pioneering safety net to be hung beneath the 60ft high bridge in a bid to prevent further fatalities.

They have argued that the lifesaving technology would be a long-term solution to prevent deaths at the infamous suicide spot, which is also a Grade II listed structure.

A �95,000 crash net has been proposed by Tectonic Global Ltd, specialists in industrial abseiling, with the support of community activists including Sarah Cope and Sue Hessel.

Over the years several safety measures have been implemented - including raising the height of the railings and installing steel mesh panels and spikes.

But authorities have stopped short of agreeing to erect a net, arguing that it would not be enough to deter someone intent on taking their own life, and that there are no other bridges in the UK with a similar net installed.