Streets congested with poorly parked cars are delaying fire engines and putting lives at risk, the city’s firefighters have warned.

Fire Officer George Guest, of St Albans Blue Watch, said: “We have to get to a job within eight minutes of the call coming in, but sometimes because of the other road users it has taken us up to 10 or 15 minutes.”

He added: “People are now parking too close to the junctions and fire engines are struggling to get through the tight, narrow streets.

“It is very stressful for the driver and it is a big risk. Other emergency vehicles struggle to get down as well.”

Telford Court, Alexandra Road, Bedford Road and Sandpit Lane are among the roads where emergency vehicles are struggling to get through.

Officer Guest says some parents even park their cars in front of the entrance to the fire station in London Road while they pick up their children from school.

He said: “People need to be more aware when they park.

“They need to think, ‘Should I be parking here?’”

Many people also park in front of water hydrants, making it difficult for firefighters to reach them.

Like many other towns and districts, during traffic increases during school run times, causing more trouble for large fire engines, which struggle to get down some roads at normal times.

Officer Guest added said: “GPS tells us where we are and where the fire is but it is really up to the driver to decide on the easiest route and their knowledge of the area.”

Hertfordshire county councillor Richard Thake said: “The Fire and Rescue Service does record parking ‘hot spots’ identified when out on our regular patrols and service calls and, where appropriate, we can (and do) ask for assistance around the matter.

“Only the police have powers to take legal action over vehicles causing dangerous obstructions, unless there is a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) in place, which would then also allow the local authority to intervene.

“Our teams have excellent local knowledge and state of the art navigation equipment, so can often look for a way round, but in the final analysis, if lives, or property are at risk, the obstruction would be removed.

“We would ask residents to be considerate when parking their vehicles in the road and ensure that there is sufficient space for emergency vehicles to pass.

“Streets congested with poorly parked cars put the lives of people at risk, including the families, friends and neighbours of the persons that have parked their vehicles so carelessly.”