FIREFIGHTERS had to rely on the public to direct them to a house fire in Rainham after having difficulty getting access. When the crew from Medway Fire Station turned up at Farnham Close on Friday evening, they found a bollard blocking their way into the row of houses where one was on fire. But neighbours were on hand to help guide the crew and their engine around another way to get to the fire but the diversion added three minutes to their arrival time. The fire was caused by a chip pan catching alight in the kitchen and because the ground floor is open plan, it quickly spread. The owner, who lived alone and is in his 60s, tried to put the fire out using a blanket but did not manage it and fled with burns to his hands.

A spokesman for the station said the incident with the bollard, which prevents motorists from parking in the close, would be noted in a report and action taken to highlight the obstruction it caused the emergency crew.