Bad parking at Harlow house fire delays crews in early hours

The fire service urged people to think twice about how and where they park in future

A crew on their way to a house fire said they had to abandon their truck and complete their journey on foot due to "inconsiderate parking".

Firefighters were called to The Dashes in Harlow at about 05:45 GMT.

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said the family at the home had a "lucky escape" because there were no working smoke alarms.

The blaze was started by an electric heater left on in an airing cupboard, the service said.

"Inconsiderate parking made it difficult for us to get to the property," said watch manager Stephen Allen.

"Thankfully we were able to get one fire engine through but the crew on the other fire engine had to make the last part of the journey on foot."

Mr Allen urged people to think twice about how and where they park.