FIREFIGHTERS were prevented from attending an emergency call after being held up by a parked lorry on Denmark Street.
Last Friday the fire brigade reportedly had to send out another vehicle to answer an emergency call, as they were unable to pass a lorry unloading on double yellow lines.
Stitchery Do employee, Becky Salisbury said: “The fire engine was stationary on blue lights for a full five minutes while the owner of the lorry was being located.”
She also said that the lorry then caused more hold ups further down the road.
In addition to this, Ms Salisbury said that the incident also left the emergency vehicle with damage, as it was hit by another van.
She stated that on Denmark Street she witnesses chaos like this daily: “We see this thing very regularly, especially in rush hour traffic”.
Advice published by The Royal Berkshire Fire Service said: “It is critical to ensure there’s suitable access for emergency services to provide a swift and effective response at all times.”
A Wokingham Borough Council spokesperson told Wokingham.Today that loading and unloading is allowed on double yellow lines, so there is little a traffic warden could do.
A Booker spokesperson added in a statement: “We are grateful that this incident has been brought to our attention.
“We apologise to the fire brigade and anybody impacted and are doing a full investigation with the driver.”
Paul Binyon, area manager at Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Our aim is to always respond to an emergency as quickly as possible.
“To ensure this, we have set ourselves a response standard to reach an emergency within
10 minutes on 75% of occasions.
“Poor parking can hinder emergency service vehicles if drivers park opposite each other on certain roads, block access to roads or stop in hatched areas by fire station exits.
“We would ask all road users to think about leaving access for emergency service vehicles when parking or leaving their vehicle unattended.
“Fire appliances are generally larger than vehicles used by other emergency services.
“Poor access can result in a delayed response to incidents which may be life-threatening.
“Fortunately on this occasion, no one was injured as a result, but it could have been a very different story.”
