UPDATE: Resident tells of confrontation with man in rooftop stand-off in Portsmouth street

Officers with riot shields protected residents, firefighters and paramedics in Widley Road, Stamshaw, when a man hurled tiles off roofs in a row of terraced houses.

A police negotiator tried to get the man down during the incident between 2am and 5am this morning.

At around 1am Linda Graham, 63, had gone for a cigarette out her rear kitchen door when she was suddenly confronted by a man - before he then climbed on the roof.

She managed to fend off the man with a baseball bat she has in the house for protection.

Linda told The News: 'As I opened the door he grabbed my door, tried to push past me and get into my kitchen doorway.

'I started grappling with him until he got out and he's gone and tried to get over my 6ft fence and ripped all that down.

'I ran to the front door and police were everywhere.

'I said "he's out the back" - he'd climbed on to the chippy roof.

'He's put a hole in my roof and the lady next door's roof.

'It was like something out of a war zone.'

When Linda was confronted by the man she rushed to get a baseball bat and hit him across the back.

'He threatened to cut my throat when I got him out,' she added.

'I don't think he bargained on me retaliating.

'He pushed me to try and get in my house, he said "let me in, let me in the old bill is behind me".

'I said "get out" and was grappling with him to get out.

'I was shaking like a leaf, I ran and got the baseball bat and was chasing him with that.'

Linda believes she hit him on the back, cracking the bat, and then out of frustration she hit the bat on a wall, causing it to split in two.

Two fire appliances with eight firefighters and the special aerial ladder platform with two firefighters, all from Southsea, assisted police, who had a negotiator.

The incident was resolved just before 5am.

Linda added: 'The man was just throwing stuff at them, as if it was nothing.

'People coming home from clubs and work, they were walking and police were shielding them top and sides.

'It was just like a film, absolutely horrendous.'

A firefighter told The News: 'They were trying to get him off the roof and he was throwing tiles.'

During the incident, which has been captured on video, the man can be heard saying: 'You can't physically get me down.'

It is understood firefighters used a ladder to later get the man down from the roof.

Roofs on two homes and the roof of the Corner Chippy chip shop were damaged, along with several vehicles.

Neighbourhood police officers are patrolling the area today asking for witnesses to come forward.

Shop worker Jasokaran Manickam, who works at Widley Food and Wine, had to clear up the rubbish in front of the shop this morning.

'I opened up the shop and there was bricks everywhere,' he said.

A Hampshire police spokeswoman said: 'Police were called at about 1.40am this morning regarding an incident in Widley Road, Stamshaw.

'On police arrival the man took to a roof of a residential property.

'The man threw roof tiles at police officers and at vehicles.

'Police negotiators attended the scene and a cordon was put in place.

'Extensive damage has been caused to vehicles in the road.

'The incident concluded at around 5am.

'A 26-year-old from Portsmouth has been arrested on suspicion of assault a person thereby occasioning them actual bodily harm. He remains in police custody at this time.'

Anyone with information should call police on 101 quoting 44160409656.