Thame motorists blocking fire station branded 'selfish'

The fire station emphasised that "in an emergency every second counts"

Motorists who regularly block access to a fire station have been branded "selfish and stupid".

Thame Fire Station has been forced to issue an appeal urging people not to park on its forecourt or the road in front due to repeated issues.

Councillors in the town have called on Oxfordshire County Council to enforce the parking rules.

The county council said it would respond to reports of illegal parking and take action where necessary.

Thame town councillor David Bretherton said that there was an "awful lot of inconsiderate parking" around Thame.

He said he wanted to see more enforcement from the county council as inconsiderate parking was "absolutely everywhere and they haven't sorted it".

Town councillor Catherine Jones added: "Anyone who stops fire engines coming and going is selfish and stupid."

The fire station, which is on Nelson Street in the town centre, released a statement earlier this week emphasising that "in an emergency every second counts".

Permit based parking has recently been brought into effect on the road in the hope of improving the situation.

A county council spokesman said: "As well as carrying out their routine rounds, our parking enforcement officers will respond to reports of illegal parking around the county and take action where necessary."

"Double yellow lines and other parking restrictions are there for safety reasons, and this is particularly important when it comes to fire and rescue crews being able to respond to emergencies as swiftly as possible."

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