People asked to be ‘mindful’ when leaving vehicles after access to fire station parking blocked

PEOPLE have been reminded not to park in front of fire stations after a number of vehicles were seen sitting outside the Hillswick station.

The vehicles outside the Hillswick Fire Station. Photo: Supplied

The vehicles outside the Hillswick Fire Station. Photo: Supplied

An image shared on social media by the Hillswick crew showed a number of vans in the station’s parking area.

There were also other cars parked around the station.

The station crew said parking is required for on-call fire fighters around the clock.

It is not thought to be the first time this has happened at Hillswick.

It comes after a warning from the Lerwick fire station in 2019 after crews found their entrances and car parks “taken over” by vehicles left behind as people sought a glimpse of nearby orcas.

Local senior officer for the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland Islands Iain Macleod said: “We acknowledge we are seeing a rise in people travelling and we want people to be able to enjoy the outdoors.

“However, we also ask members of the public to be mindful when parking their vehicles and to show consideration for the emergency services and for our designated parking spaces.”