Firefighters are warning the public that lost time can cost lives after squeezing a fire engine between parked cars in Portreath last week.

A crew from Tolvaddon were on the way to an incident when they encountered the vehicle parked on both sides of a narrow street.

They tweeted out a picture, with the message: "Please be considerate when parking your vehicle. This was encountered at Portreath yesterday," and the hashtags #TimeCostsLives.

Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service is running a new #ThinkB4UPark initiative to highlight the number of incidents in which motorists hinder emergency service vehicles with erratic driving and poor parking.

Literature promoting the campaign states: "Those motorists that are not considering if an emergency vehicle can get past, are putting lives at risk by blocking off roads and even stopping on box junctions outside community fire stations.

"If your vehicle is considered to be parked inconsiderately, you may find one of our leaflets under your windscreen wiper - Think Before You Park notice."

a leaflet on your car could be the least of worries for any motorist who does block a fire engine in the event of an emergency, as firefighters due have a legal right to move them out of the way if they believe it necessary to reach the site of an emergency.