Fire crews raced to a 999 call to report an arson attack in Nuneaton only to find another problem. They found someone parked over the fire hydrant cover. Firefighters from the Newtown Road-based station responded to calls that a tree was on fire in Stockingford Recreation Ground earlier this afternoon (August 12th).

The flaming tree was close to fencing at the rear of some residents’ homes. But when the engines arrived to put out the flames, they found that someone parked over the fire hydrant cover plate.

Despite there being yellow markings on the road, the car was parked over the plate, meaning firefighters could not access it. Fortunately, the crews said they had enough water in the tank to put out the flames.

But they warned that the situation could have been very different had they been responding to a house fire. A post on the Nuneaton Fire Station page on Facebook urged motorists to think before they park as well as images of the blocked plate and the remains of the tree following the fire.

“Please park considerately,” it read. “Those little yellow hydrant plates you see on the pavement and in the road are there for fire engines to access water.

“This time we managed with one tank of water but things would be very difficult for us if it was a house fire.” Another post explained that, in Warwickshire, yellow paint is used to help crews identify a fire hydrant cover. “The hydrant requires a standpipe to access the water supply and a specially designed key to turn the water on,” the post read.

“Please take care not to park your car above or too close to a fire hydrant as it could be needed in an emergency at any time.”