"I didn't want to let go of her" - good Samaritan speaks after motorway bridge incident

The 20-year-old, from Garforth, was waiting for her boyfriend when she became concerned about a woman she could see on the bridge over the M621 on Dewsbury Road near Hunslet.

"I couldn't tell you what made me go over. I was underneath the bridge. When you see someone's been standing there a while you get concerned," said the woman, who did not wish to be named.

The pair began a conversation while waiting for police to arrive. Officers later closed the road below and diverted drivers away from the area.

"I didn't want to let go of her, and couldn't call the police in front of her for fear she would bolt. She had been telling me the official services had let her down and she felt there was nowhere else to turn, so I felt really bad for calling the police but didn't have any other option. It was heartbreaking seeing her that way. She was very angry towards the police, didn't want to talk to them at all, but she had been open talking with me.

"I just hope she accepts the help now, the police seemed to know her so I don't think it's the first time she had felt like that."

West Yorkshire Police confirmed that the woman was taken to hospital for a mental health assessment.