'Drunk' man climbs Sydney Opera House

12 May 2014, 10:55 | Updated: 12 May 2014, 10:56

A man has been rescued from the roof of the iconic Sydney Opera House after walking up and down the 'sails' for over an hour.

The man was seen wandering on the top of the structure yesterday afternoon, but it took over an hour for emergency services to confront him and eventually remove him from the roof.

An eyewitness told news.com.au that the man was shouting "Where's my wallet?" and drinking from a can of beer he produced from his trouser pockets. 

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The man's wallet was left on the ground, where police used it to identify the man on the roof.

Other witnesses have claimed it was some sort of protest, but police have since claimed that "a drunken guy just decided to go up the sails."

The rescue took place after the man had been on the roof for over an hour. He was attached to harnesses and escorted to the ground while police helicopters filmed the incident from above.