Terror on the 72nd floor: Shard window cleaner caught in high winds

A window cleaner had to be rescued by firefighters after being caught in high winds while working on the 72nd floor of the Shard in London.

The London Fire Brigade rushed to the building this afternoon to save the man after a cradle carrying him began to violently rock back and forth in the wind. Ten firefighters were there, while engineers steadied the platform, allowing the cleaner to safely return to the ground.

A video of the incident was posted on Youtube, showing the platform swinging dangerously underneath grey skies.

London Fire Brigade said on Twitter: "On site engineers at the Shard have made the window cleaners' cradle safe & we can all now breath a sigh of relief."

The Shard, now the tallest building in Western Europe, is set to be opened this Thursday by Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabor Al Thani, Qatar's prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, and the Duke of York.