TRAFFIC was brought to a standstill as a woman threatened to jump from an M65 footbridge, police said.

The 25-year-old local woman was threatening to jump from a bridge between junctions 10 and 11 for about an hour.

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The motorway had to be closed in both directions as specialist officers negotiated with her to come down.

A spokesman for Burnley Police said: “We were called at 9pm on Sunday to the motorway bridge in Pendle Way, close to Junction 10 of the M65.

“An ambulance crew was also in attendance and we were negotiating with the woman at the scene within the first half an hour of the call coming in.

“We were talking to her for about half an hour and then she came back over to the right side of the bridge barrier just after 10pm.

“She was supported by an officer and taken to a place of safety.

“She was taken off for a mental health assessment and the road was reopened shortly after she came to the other side of the bridge.”

The Pendle Way footbridge heads over the motorway near Gannow Top from close to the junction with Tunnel Street and connects close to the Burnley Barracks railway station.

Gannow councillor Charlie Briggs said: “This has been frequently used over the past couple of years for people wanting to commit suicide and I don’t know what we can do about the bridge.

“I think it is more about sorting the issue out than making changes to the bridge itself.

“Depression is a terrible thing. I lost my wife recently and I have been in some dark places over the past couple of months so I can understand this.

“But nobody seems bothered about it. Nobody seems to be doing anything about it and it is a serious illness.

“I just hope this woman gets the help she needs and is able to move on from this.”

The M65 has seen its fair share of suicide attempts and, in June 2012, an inquest heard how a 69-year-old man suffering from depression had jumped 130ft from a viaduct into the woodland below.

Before that, in August 2010, The Samaritans charity called for measures to stop suicidal people attempting to jump from motorway bridges after five suicide attempts in 18 months – four near to the Gannow Top junction.

The woman was helped down on Sunday before being taken to hospital for medical help, police said.