Warning over inconsiderate parking in Wisbech

Officers gave words of advice to people who had parked in an inappropriate way and issued 15 fixed penalty notices to people who had parked illegally during an operation today.

The two-hour patrol focussed on 12 streets in the town centre where parking has previously been an issue and could mean fire crews struggle to gain access to incidents.

PCSO Lisa Mann, who was on the patrol, said: “Inconsiderate and at times illegal parking is becoming an increasing issue in Wisbech.

“Parking in an inappropriate way could cause a delay in emergency services reaching an incident and therefore put lives at risk.

“We urge people to think carefully about where they choose to leave their vehicle; ensuring it is parked legally and in a way that does not prevent larger vehicles from accessing the road.”

Watch Commander John Chelton, from Wisbech Fire Station, said: “Inappropriate parking is a particular problem in Wisbech because some of the roads are quite narrow and whilst they might think there’s enough room for a car to get through they forget large vehicles can’t get past. Whilst it might be ok for a car, it’s not ok for a fire engine.”

WC Chelton said the streets with the biggest problems were North Brink, that runs down the side of the river, and North Street in the town centre.

He said: “We would advise people to be more considerate and think about emergency services that need to get through because time is of the essence. If we have to spend five or ten minutes getting through because of inappropriate parking, it affects the incidents we are going to.”