Firefighters responding to reports of a blaze found their narrow route blocked by fly-tipped waste and had to get out and clear it by hand.
They have blasted those responsible and released images of the building materials dumped across Highwall Lane near Queen Charlton.
On their Twitter account today, Hicks Gate Fire Station said: “Last night we were mobilised to a fire; whilst en route we were confronted with this fly-tipping; it was impossible to turn the fire appliance around and a very long reverse, so we had no choice but to manually remove the reckless fly-tipping.”
It is illegal to fly-tip and anyone caught doing so is liable to prosecution, with fines of up to £50,000 or five years’ imprisonment. An incident of fly-tipping in the same lane was reported to Bath & North East Somerset Council’s FixMy Street portal last year which also involved rubble.
A through-traffic restriction is currently being trialled by Bath & North East Somerset Council on Queen Charlton Lane but emergency services, landowners and farmers are able to drop the bollards to gain access.
Avon Fire & Rescue Service spokeperson tonight confirmed that the Hicks Gate crews had been called to reports of a grass fire off Queen Charlton Lane, Whitchurch. “Upon arrival, there was no presence of fire, the crew proceeded to fully investigate the area to make sure it was safe.”
