PART of Newton Abbot town centre was cordoned off after a woman made threats to jump to her death from the multi-storey car park yesterday (July 23).

Afternoon rush-hour traffic, including bus services, were delayed as the emergency services made Sherborne Road a no-go zone for the duration of the tense drama.

The alarm was raised just after 5pm when the woman was seen in a distressed state at the top of the building which has been used previously as a suicide spot.

Officers at the scene, together with colleagues in the Middlemoor police HQ control room, managed to persuade the local woman – in her 40s – not to carry out her threats.

The matter was resolved within the hour as delayed commuters and shoppers were able to resume their journeys.

One inconvenienced worker, waiting to catch a bus to Bishopsteignton, said: ‘Police would not let us through, which was understandable in the circumstances. It was a bit fraught.’

Another said: ‘I tried to take a photo on my mobile and I was told not to. I’m glad the woman was all right.’

A police spokesman said afterwards: ‘A local woman in her 40s moved to a place of safety shortly after support arrived.

‘She left the area with the ambulance and has received support from mental health professionals.’

And he confirmed: ‘The person who was making threats to jump was assisted by both call centre staff and officers at the scene.’