Drivers warned of little-known parking rule which could land you with a £500 fine

Drivers are being warned about a parking rule that not many people are aware of - blocking a fire hydrant.

A fire service has issued the warning, explaining that motorists could be fined for parking over or blocking a fire hydrant with their cars. Posting on social media, South Wales Fire and Rescue Service said it was an offence to prevent access to a fire hydrant with a vehicle.

On the Facebook post they informed people that, under the Fire Service Act, vehicles that repeatedly block hydrants could be reported - which can result in a fine of up to £500 - as delays in accessing water could impact firefighting operations and the community. However, many people said they had no idea such a rule was in place, or what a twenty-first century fire hydrant looked like.

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One person said: "I was today years old when I found out that this was in fact a fire hydrant." While another added: "I had no idea (at 62) that this was a fire hydrant. I hope I’ve never parked near or over one." Another person even said she "would walk past that and not even know what it was."

One Facebook user, who said he retired from the fire service, wrote: "That's a poor effort for a hydrant. Don't you paint them yellow anymore?? Easy mistake to make for the average motorist..... I'd miss that and I'm retired fire service."

The signs alert fire crews to where hydrants are (Chronicle Live)

Another commenter mentioned how dangerous he thought the visibility of the fire hydrant was, saying: "Twenty-first century and we still bury them in roads, dangerous to use, often full of dirt and difficult to access."

Others agreed and were shocked at how difficult it would be to spot them on the road, reports Wales Online. One wrote: "Need to go back to painting them yellow!! At least people would have a chance of noticing them and they won’t blend in with the road." While another added: "Perhaps they should be more visible so the motorist can see them, easy to miss with the amount of debris on the roads and the dark evenings drawing in."

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