French 'Spider-Man' scales skyscraper aged 60

A climber known as France's "Spider-Man" has marked his 60th birthday by scaling a 48-storey skyscraper in Paris without any safety gear.

Alain Robert climbed the Tour TotalEnergies in the Défense business district using no ropes or harness.

"I want to send people the message that being 60 years old is nothing. You can still do sport, be active, do fabulous things," he told Reuters news agency.

After reaching the top of the tower he was reportedly arrested.

Mr Robert has climbed the Tour TotalEnergies numerous times before. This time, it took him just 60 minutes to reach the top, news site Defense 92 reports.

"I promised myself several years ago that when I would reach 60, I would climb that tower again because 60 symbolises retirement age in France and I thought that was a nice touch," he said after the climb.

France's age of retirement has since risen to 62 and the government aims to raise it further.

Mr Robert added that the aim of the climb was also to raise awareness of global warming, according to Reuters.

Mr Robert is known for climbing tall buildings worldwide. His daring feats include reaching the top of Dubai's Burj Khalifa - the world's tallest building.

He usually does his stunts without prior notice or permission and has been arrested a number of times.