FIREFIGHTERS are angry after being forced to waste precious time tipping over a illegally parked car so they could get to the scene of a serious blaze.

The drama began when Medway fire brigade were called to a fire in Chatham's Meadowbank Road. The offending vehicle was a red Ford Sierra parked on double yellow lines on the corner of Meadowbank Road and Institute Road, blocking the access for all emergency vehicles.

The firefighters had no idea whether anyone was trapped in the blaze in an upstairs bedsit - so they did not think twice about moving the car off the road. It took just minutes for the crew to tip the car onto its side, moving it onto the pavement.

Alec Evans, sub-officer at Medway fire station, said later: "Illegal parking is a huge inconvenience to us and an obstruction to other people's lives. This is the perfect example as we had no idea if anyone was trapped so as far as we were concerned it was a matter of life and death.

"We need to have access to all roads but so many drivers just don't think where they park. People don't realise that even though you maybe able to get a car through, you cannot get a fire engine through.

"They are not only putting other people's lives in danger, they are risking their own as it could easily be them we're trying to get to next time."

Bedsit tenant Simon Scales managed to escape from the blaze unhurt, but his home was badly smoke damaged. Police removed the illegally parked Sierra, which was badly dented when it was tipped over.

Mr Evans added: "The answer is for the police to have the power to tow away vehicles immediately and to charge the owner for doing so. There are so many laws nowadays, but we are losing the right to live without such a basic law in place."