WATCH: Man climbs more than 300m to top of London's tallest building without ropes
World / 8 July 2019, 3:57pm / Jennifer Hassan
The Shard building, one of the tallest buildings in Europe, reaches up from the city of London. A free climber, no name released by police, scaled The Shard without safety equipment. Picture: Natasha Livingstone/AP
London - Some people find it hard to get motivated on a Monday. Others are already halfway up London's tallest building by 5 am - seemingly without a rope or harness.
An unidentified climber was spotted scaling the Shard skyscraper on Monday morning, much to the concern of stunned onlookers, who tweeted video from the scene as the man ascended.
In a statement, London's Metropolitan police service confirmed it was called at 5:15 a.m. local time following reports of a climber scaling the building at 32 London Bridge St.
"Emergency services attended and the man went inside the building where he was spoken to by officers. He was not arrested," the tweet read.
Police were called at 05:15hrs on Monday, 8 July following reports of a 'free-climber' on the Shard. Emergency services attended and the man went inside the building where he was spoken to by officers. He was not arrested.
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) July 8, 2019
"One person climbing up the outside of the Shard in central London. Two police cars, two ambulances and a drone on the scene," tweeted another witness from the ground.
While some took to social media to voice their concerns about how the free climber was able to dodge security to climb the glass structure, others seemed to admire the climber's dedication.
Someone is climbing up The Shard!!! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/4yWG0CZ6Rt
— David Kevin Williams (@DaveKWilliams) July 8, 2019
"Who actually has the energy to climb The Shard that early on a Monday morning??" one user tweeted.
People out that climbing the shard on a Monday morning, I can't even get out of bed in time.
— carme 🌈 (@protectheflames) July 8, 2019
The Shard, which is more than 1,000 feet (304.8 metres) tall, has been a target for fearless free climbers and protesters in the past. In 2013, six Greenpeace activists spent 16 hours climbing the building to protest plans by the Shell oil company to drill in the Arctic. The women used ropes to reach the top and were later arrested and held on suspicion of aggravated trespassing, the BBC reported at the time.
Built in 2009, the Shard has 95 floors and offers 360-degree views of the city - although most visitors tend to admire the sights from the inside the building.