A Tenby councillor has issued a plea to residents and visitors imploring them to ‘think before they park’.

Speaking at Tuesday night’s meeting of Tenby Town Council, Clr. Mrs. Tracey Evans highlighted cases of inconsiderate parking across the town which she hoped could be acted on as soon as possible by the authorities.

Clr. Mrs. Evans said that parking issues at Newell Hill recently had led to local firefighters being ‘upset and exasperated’ at being blocked in by vehicles, leading them to being concerned that there could be a delay in response times to serious call-outs as every second was ‘precious’.

Recent other issues have been highlighted across Tenby with concerns over dangerous parking in and around Tudor Way and its junction with Heywood Lane, near Serpentine Road, during the mornings and afternoons, when children are being dropped-off or collected from schools, whilst members of Tenby Male Choir have also been criticised for ‘clogging-up’ The Croft with choristers cars parking on double yellow lines and mounting pavements, which has also led to concerns over emergency vehicles accessing that area of the town.

“On Sunday night I had a knock on my door by an extremely upset and exasperated firefighter who lives in my street, who was absolutely furious to report that once again his car had been blocked in and he was unable to leave the street to attend a shout,” Clr. Mrs. Evans told her colleagues on the Newell Hill matter.

“He had no choice but to run up to the fire station as he had no idea whose car it was and as he is the driver of the engine it cannot leave without him.

“This has happened many times before and quite frankly he is at his wits end. I have had the pleasure of living next door to a firefighter for the past 20 years and I am always in awe of how quickly they respond. From the time the bleeper goes to the fire engine leaving the station, they have a phenomenal response time.

“When our firefighters are called out they must treat every shout as a matter of life and death and quite obviously every second is precious. If our firefighters cannot leave their street, then surely lives are being put at risk. This is something that affects the whole town, not just Newell Hill.

“I implore the residents and visitors of Newell Hill to think before they park,” she continued.

“We have a high proportion of firemen and lifeboat men in our street and blocking people in is no longer acceptable. I understand the frustration of not being able to park, but double parking is not the answer.

“Residents also have major concerns about emergency vehicles being able to get in.

“Irresponsible parking is becoming a whole town problem with concerns surrounding the schools and more recently The Croft,” added Clr. Mrs. Evans, who proposed an urgent meeting with all emergency services and relevant representatives from Pembrokeshire County Council to discuss access and parking issues across the town.