HASLEMERE firefighters responding to an emergency call were forced to do a lengthy detour when a town road was blocked due to bad parking.

Crew commander Spencer Nicholls issued an urgent appeal to motorists parking in Bridge Road to check they had left enough space for emergency vehicles to get through, after the fire engine had to turn around and go another way on Monday, causing a significant delay to the response time.

“Haslemere’s fire appliance was called to assist an ambulance at a property in Field Way, on Monday afternoon,” he said. “Because the road was narrowed by two cars parked adjacent to one another, we were forced to turn around and drive back up West Street, via High Street and then Lower Road to turn off into Tanners Lane before we could access Field Way – all adding some considerable time before getting to those who need us.

“This time it was to assist an ambulance, but if we had been called to a fire, then every second really does count. We do have the legal right to move vehicles with or without the owner’s permission. But this still takes time and delays the appliance getting to where we need to be.”