PEOPLE who block streets by parking badly are being warned by firefighters they can cost lives.

Fire crews were called to Festival Close, Devizes, earlier this week to a blaze in a greenhouse but found they were delayed by bad parking.

But it has also drawn attention to the narrowness of streets on a number of new estates in the town.

A fire spokesman said: "Called out to a property in Festival Close. The call came in as a fire in a greenhouse, but in arrival the fire was thankfully out.

"For the second time in two days our arrival and exit from the incident was hindered by inconsiderate parking on the roadside.

"We placed notices on the windscreens of the vehicles causing the obstruction of our appliance hoping that it will make the owners think twice when parking on the streets. Thankfully this time it wasn't a person's reported call, and our delayed attendance costing a life."

Many people took to social media to condemn the inconsiderate parking but also to point out the narrowness of roads on new estates in the town.

One said: "Whilst walking around some of the newer estates during the lockdown I have often wondered how emergency vehicles would get through. Some of the roads are very narrow and not all houses have drives/garages."

Another added: "Stick one of your stickers on county hall for being irresponsible enough to allow streets to be built so narrow in this day and age so that developers can squeeze in as many houses as possible. Its not rocket science that most adults will have a car."