Atherstone firefighters are reminding motorists to be careful where they park after a car hindered their efforts to tackle a shed fire yesterday (Mon).

Extra time had to be taken to work around the parked vehicle as the crew attempted to access a fire hydrant during the callout to the blaze in Baxterley.

A spokesman for Atherstone Fire Station said: "Unfortunately, when we attempted to fill our fire engine up with water from the closest hydrant, we were faced with a car that had parked very close to the hydrant plate.

"This caused us to spend extra time being careful not to damage the car in the process of getting the hydrant to work.

"Fortunately, we were able to use the hydrant and had enough water to extinguish the fire."

A firefighter wearing breathing apparatus and using a hose reel put out the metal shed fire.

The blaze started when a lit garden incinerator - 50cm from the shed - heated up the metal and caused wood fibre underlay stored inside to ignite.

"Luckily, the owner called us immediately and we were able to control the fire before it spread to surrounding fence panels.

"There are two lessons to be learnt here:

"1- Be mindful where you light your incinerator in your back garden and always have a means of extinguishing it if it looks out of control. "2 - Be mindful where you park your car, as you never know when a hydrant may be required." It is an offence under the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 to park over, or to prevent access to, a fire hydrant when it is required for firefighting. A Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: "In the event of fire, it can be of paramount importance that firefighters have access to water supplies quickly and every second counts. "If someone's vehicle has blocked a hydrant, it means the fire crews nearest supply of water is blocked and the next nearest one could be several roads away. "Remember every second counts in an emergency situation. "Blocking fire hydrants is not the only issue. "Double parking, parked vehicles on junctions and just poor parking in general makes it difficult for the fire service to reach incidents as quickly and efficiently as they can. "This means slowing down to get through small gaps or turning around and finding an alternative route, which adds vital minutes on their journey. "This can be the difference between life and death."