Delays have forced firefighters to plea with residents to park their cars considerately.

The emergency service have had several of their call outs to Stanley Road and St Stephens Court in Tunbridge Wells hampered by carelessly parked vehicles.

The narrow space in the side streets has left responders with no choice but to get to properties on foot on several occasions.

Kent Fire and Rescue fear that it is only a matter of time before the issue leads to tragedy.

Tunbridge Wells fire station leader, Iain Bradshaw, said: “We can get to this area within four minutes of receiving the fire call at the fire station, but because of the way vehicles have been parked on either side of the street, we often find we have had to abandon the fire engine and get to the properties on foot.

Crews struggled to reach a sheltered housing complex in St Stephen Court on several occasions in recent weeks due to double-parked vehicles. This made the gap too narrow for a fire engine to get through.

Mr Bradshaw continued: “Blocked roads can result in a further delay of at least five minutes, while we knock on doors and get the vehicles moved. Such obstructions force us to change our tactics.

“While we all like to park as close to our homes as possible, we need people to be considerate when parking their vehicles.

"Please take a quick look around and make sure that you’ve left enough space for emergency vehicles to get through – one day it could be your home we’re trying to get to.”