Plea over parking as fire engines struggle to get down narrow Luton road

Councillors in Luton have reminded people to be ‘mindful’ when parking after a fire engine struggled to get down a road in the town.

Last week, a fire station in Luton took to Facebook to remind people to park sensibly to make sure emergency vehicles can access streets. Firefighters posted images of tight roads in Biscot which showed a fire engine trying to squeeze through rows of parked cars. A post by the station read: "When parking, please remember to leave space for emergency vehicles to pass. A Fire Appliance needs at least 3 m (10ft) to get through safely. Luckily on this occasion, we were returning from an incident - not trying to get to one."

People in the comments were quick to notice the road’s width and where the cars were parked. One Facebook user said: "The problem is the cars are parked correctly so the width of the road is the problem unfortunately. But I completely agree, people need to remember that when parking."

While another added: “Council need to make parking bays along one side of the road and double yellows all the other side. Problem solved.”

Biscot ward’s Cllr Tahmina Saleem said: “We are aware of the problem as residents of Biscot have observed the difficulty for fire engines passing through the narrow streets of Biscot. We’re in touch with Studley Road fire station who have said it’s something their crews have to contend with on a daily basis.

"In partnership with our highways department, we are reviewing how we as a local authority can ease the situation, and I understand that our partners in the fire service are planning in the long term, to potentially acquire smaller, but equally capable fire engines. For now, we ask residents to be mindful of how they park, and we ask those who are non-residents of Biscot to be considerate of where they park and to avoid narrow overly congested roads.”

A spokesperson for Luton Borough Council said: “The fire services conducts a vital function on behalf of us all and it is important that cars are parked considerately and legally at all times, to allow emergency access where possible.

“Where cars are parked illegally the council will not hesitate to take enforcement action.”