Internationally renowned high-wire walker Chris Bull says he is looking forward to seeing Devizes Market Place from an unusual angle as he crosses the square with nothing more than a balancing pole to help him.

Mr Bull will attempt to cross the Market Place from the former Polly Tea Rooms building to Strakers estate agents at 4pm next Monday as part of the Devizes Carnival International Street Festival.

Although the 45-metre walk is less than half the 120-metre record he set at Glastonbury earlier this year, the town centre stunt has its own risks involved.

Mr Bull said: “Every walk is unique and I am taking this one incredibly seriously. High-wire walking is an art form and I am very excited about the Devizes one.

“I am very lucky in having a very competent rigger, Damian Weymouth, setting things up for me. There are few people in the world I would trust to rig the rope, and Damian is one of them.”

Mr Bull, a member of Bristol’s Invisible Circus troupe, has been involved with circus skills since he was 19. He was taking part in a circus festival in Greece about 12 years ago when he saw a young woman doing a slack rope act.

He said: “She taught me a few steps and put me onto a rope and the rest is history.”

Mr Bull has reconnoitred the planned route high above the Market Place and is happy with it.

He said: “A lot of it depends on the weather and whether we can clear the crowd from underneath the rope. Any sudden noises or movements can put me off. I won’t have a safety cable, I prefer to do it without.”