LOCAL fire officers are encouraging locals and visitors to take care when they park, following two recent incidents when appliances from Delabole Fire Station were delayed in attending call outs.

Parking on double yellow lines on Pengelly recently caused a fire appliance from Delabole to be delayed by five minutes whilst trying to attend a minor incident involving a bonfire at Otterham Station. Additionally, prior to this most recent incident, another shout was delayed due to parking. Luckily one of the crew knew who the vehicle belonged to, so it was moved in time.

Delabole station manager, Mark Saltern, said: “The incident was minor, but if it happened to be more serious, then it could have been a big problem."

Mark thinks that part of the issue is the time of year. He added: “We just want people to be aware, especially on emergency access roads, of where they park and to make sure they don’t park anywhere that may prevent emergency vehicles and appliances getting to call outs.

“I think it may be down to the time of year, with all the holiday makers and visitors, meaning more increased parking. We’re currently in talks with our Cornwall Councillor, Dominic Fairman, to try and make people more aware of the issue and how to avoid it. It is a constant problem at the moment.”