DRIVERS have been warned about the dangers of double parking on narrow roads across the conurbation after the issue 'caused carnage' last week.

The incident took place when a fire engine was obstructed by two parked cars in Portfield Road in Christchurch during a busy school dropping off time.

The resident, who asked not to be named, said the fire engine was on its way down the road trying to navigate between double parked cars for more than 10 minutes, outside Christchurch Infant and Junior schools.

The incident has prompted a warning from Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service.

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The resident said: "It was carnage. It brought the entire road and surrounding road to a standstill. It's a constant problem down that road - with this silver car as well as others constantly parking dangerously and inconsiderately, miles away from the kerb.

"It's a very tight road anyway but despite this it's just crazy the way people park, more of a case of abandoning their vehicles rather than actually trying to park.

"In the last couple of weeks I've seen several wing mirrors get smashed off just through normal sized cars.

"There's often a head teacher outside the school as a deterrent I guess and occasionally a letter goes out and an email saying for people to park more considerately because there's been problems but people don't seem to learn, I think ignorant is probably the word.

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"There are often police community support officers out and I guess prevention's better than cure but its almost like they need to hide and catch them in the act because people don't offend whilst there there and then the next day when they're not it's back to square one again and it does make you wonder for the safety of the kids."

A spokesperson from Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: "We do have difficulties with access in many areas and we are working with our partners to try and improve the issue. We would always ask people when parking their vehicles to consider the following to help us and other emergency vehicles when responding to incidents."

• Pull in your wing mirrors (don’t forget to flip them out before driving off).

• Don’t park too close to corners, fire engines are larger than cars and need more room to turn.

• If you’re parking opposite someone, remember that our smallest appliance needs a minimum of 3m, or the width of two cars, so more room is needed than you might think, especially on tight corners.

• Make sure your wheels are straight and not sticking out.

• Park as close to the kerb as you can.

• Always follow the Highway Code and obey the road markings such as yellow lines and box junctions.

• In narrow streets, only park on one side of the road where possible.

• Make sure you leave enough space for pedestrians on the pavement.

• Don’t block driveways."