British police arrested a man after he was seen walking on the roof of Britain's parliament buildings for several hours overnight.

A police statement said they had arrested the man on suspicion of trespass and criminal damage at 5am, having been made aware of his presence on top of the Palace of Westminster at 9.15 on Saturday night.

"At this stage it is too early to ascertain the reason as to why the man was trespassing on the roof," the statement said, adding that police negotiators had attended the scene.

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