Dozens of vehicles blocked the hard shoulder and delayed the fire service attending an emergency
The police have hit out at motorists who delayed firefighters from attending an emergency on the M1.
The emergency services were called to reports of a vehicle fire on the M1 near Portadown on Wednesday, August 27, involving a Ford S-Max.
However, while the fire service attempted to get to the scene, it was delayed by dozens of vehicles that had stopped in the hard shoulder, delaying firefighters from getting to the scene.
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Police have warned that the hard shoulder of a motorway should be kept clear for emergency services and while on this ocassion the occupants had managed to get out of the burning vehicle, lives could have been put at risk.
A PSNI spokesperson said: “Road Policing officers from Mahon Road station responded to a vehicle fire on the M1 near Portadown this afternoon. When we arrived, the Ford S-Max was engulfed in flames.
“Thankfully, the two occupants managed to get out in time. To protect the public, we had to temporarily stop all traffic on the west bound carriageway until the fire was extinguished.
“The hard shoulder of a motorway should be kept clear so that an unobstructed passage can be maintained for emergency services to use in such a scenario.
“Sadly, due to dozens of cars and lorries driving and stopping on the hard shoulder, fire service were delayed by almost 5 minutes as they battled their way along a blocked hard shoulder. Had this been a slightly different set of circumstances, this had the potential to put lives at risk.
“Please, only use the hard shoulder in the event of a breakdown or when needing to stop in an emergency.”
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