A man who is believed to be injured spent last night on the run hiding from a police helicopter in Hornchurch after officers caught him on the roof of a building

A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman confirmed officers were called to Wingletye Lane at around 10pm on Wednesday, May 22, "to reports of a male on the roof of a property".

Both police officers and London Ambulance Service paramedics attended, but the man fled the scene.

A National Police Air Service (NPAS) helicopter was called in to aid the search, and remained above Hornchurch, Emerson Park, Gidea Park and other surrounding areas until just before midnight.

An eyewitness who lives on the Dury Falls estate just off Wingletye Lane told the Recorder: "There were loads of police about, including dog handlers and what I thought looked like properly armed police.

"I went out to take a look and it looked like they were raiding a house, but one of the coppers on the cordon told me the helicopter had been called in because someone had got away on foot.

"Then we had police cars with blue lights flashing driving slowly up and down the roads around here like they were looking for someone. That helicopter must have been up there for two hours or so on and off, it just kept coming back."

There is currently no further update on the missing man's injuries or how he sustained them.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed that as of 6.15am this morning, investigating officers had still been unable to trace the suspect.