DELABOLE Fire Brigade is warning residents and visitors to take care with their parking, following delays in attending incidents, writes Rosie Cripps.

For wide fire appliances trying to get through quickly when called out to an incident, it may seem to many that it would be easy, with their flashing lights and sirens. However, with the narrow roads in Delabole, the local fire service has been having difficulties in driving past vehicles, parked mostly on double yellow lines, when trying to attend an incident.

Mark Saltern, Delabole Fire Station manager, is now urging people to take more care when parking in the area.

He said: “Obviously we’ve got to turn up and turn out of the fire station, and with vehicles parking on double yellow lines and in other places that could block us getting through, it has been making it difficult for us to get past.

“We’ve also had to try and get through tight gaps, and obviously we’ve got to get out. So there have been a few delays with that too.”

Mark explained that the station is working with their Cornwall councillor, Dominic Fairman (Lib Dem), and is positive that some action may take place in the coming months, including the reinstatement of yellow lines in the area. If that does not work, then wardens could soon be seen patrolling the area to oversee that people do not park in places that could block the route for a fire appliance to get through.

Mark continued: “For anyone in local villages — residents or not — please be a bit more aware that there is a station down the road, and just be a little more considerate when parking.

“Taking into consideration that fire appliances are around eight feet wide, some parking we have experienced in the area has made it very difficult for us to get through to attend an incident.”