Man fined for blocking road to fire crew on call-out

Firefighters had to take a different route, which meant it took longer to reach the scene, police said (generic image)

A man who blocked a road and refused to let a fire engine past as it raced to free people trapped in flood waters has been fined.

Firefighters were on their way to rescue two people from a car in Lindridge, Worcestershire, on 6 January, when they found the A443 at Newnham Bridge blocked, West Mercia Police said.

Adam Smith, 53, from Tenbury Wells, had deliberately blocked the road with two vehicles and refused to move them, despite the firefighters explaining they were responding to an emergency, a court heard.

At Kidderminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, Smith was convicted of obstructing an emergency worker and was ordered to pay a £220 fine, £620 in costs and an £88 victim surcharge.

Smith was found guilty, proved in absence.

Firefighters had to turn around and take a different route, which meant it took longer to reach the scene, police said.

PC Molly Smith said his actions were "totally irresponsible and had the very real potential to endanger lives".

She added obstructing any emergency worker was an offence, "but when they are responding to an emergency, it's even more incomprehensible".

In this incident, the victims trapped in the flood water had to wait longer for help, which "could have had catastrophic consequences", she said.

"Thankfully they were ok, but the outcome could have been very different.

"It also put the firefighters at increased risk as they arrived from a different direction, so had a longer stretch of water to wade through, and flood water levels had risen during the delay."