Warning Issued After Car Parked Across Entrance To Fire Station

Drivers are being warned bad parking could cost lives after a fire crew in Rothwell were delayed in getting to an emergency.

A car was left partly across the entrance to the fire station forecourt on Tresham Street on Saturday night, meaning the appliance could not turn right, and vehicles double-parked further down the road then blocked its path.

Pic: Northamptonshire Fire & Rescue Service

The crew had been mobilised just after 10pm to assist colleagues attending a fire in the kitchen of a house in Kettering.

A spokesperson for Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “The response was delayed by a car partially blocking the Station forecourt, and the engine was then stuck due to double parking at the bottom of Tresham Street.

“Thankfully the fire was out prior to the arrival of our Kettering crew and no injuries were reported.

“The Rothwell crew has seen a recent increase in residents using the forecourt for turning and parking, as well as double parking in streets close to the Station.

“We would urge residents to think carefully about where they have parked and consider whether they have left sufficient room for emergency services vehicles to get past.

“Those extra seconds could be the difference between life or death.”

Double-parking blocked the fire engine’s path Pic: Northamptonshire Fire & Rescue Service

The Fire Service added that a standard Scania fire appliance is approximately 2.6 metres wide by 8 metres long and requires more space to manoeuvre than many people realise.

The Highway Code states that ‘you should not stop or park anywhere you would prevent access for Emergency Services’ and ‘do not stop or park opposite or within 10 metres of a junction, except if in an authorised parking space’.