A campaign has been launched to warn drivers how their bad parking could cost a life.

A number of roads in Sittingbourne are regularly turned into no-go zones for fire engines and other emergency vehicles because of cars left double-parked, at junctions or too far from the kerb.

In a bid to combat this problem, a poster and leaflet campaign is being launched by Kent Fire and Rescue Service.

They show a newspaper cutting with the headline “Child dies in house fire”. While fictitious, the poster serves to remind drivers of the extreme consequences which careless parking can cause.

~Listen: Sheppey Station Commander Mick Durkan tells why people should think before they park>>>

These will be placed on cars that are badly parked.

Sittingbourne fire station manager, Dennis McCaughan, said: “On a regular basis we see our fire engines trying to get through ever-decreasing gaps when they respond to incidents because of people’s poor parking, and it is particularly bad during the school run and in the evening.

“In some cases the crews have been forced to take an alternative route because their usual journey has been obstructed, but we fear this could eventually result in a tragedy if the delay means they are too late to save someone from the deadly effects of smoke and fire.”

Fire crews will continue to work alongside their community safety partners to monitor problem areas and target those who continue to ignore this message.

This could involve fines for the perpetrators and the removal of cars causing an obstruction.

Charlotte Hudson, Swale Borough Council’s community safety officer, said: “By backing this poster campaign we hope to draw everyone’s attention to the necessity of considering the potential consequences of where they park.

“We have had a positive response to previous poster campaigns, and along with the police and the fire service, we wholeheartedly support this initiative.”