FIREFIGHTERS slammed residents after poorly parked cars forced crews to drive the long way round while a blaze ripped through a garden fence last night.

Crews were called to the scene in Cumberland Road, Reading, shortly after 2.30am to reports of a fire in a back garden.

But when they arrived they were forced to find another route after residents' vehicles blocked their path.

They had to detour around the neighbourhood and find another entrance to the road before they were able to douse the flames.

Luckily, they managed to stop the blaze from reaching a set of trees in the garden.

Kevin Glancy, crew manager at Wokingham Road Fire Station, urged residents to think of emergency services when parking.

He said: “We were delayed slightly in getting there because of the way the cars were parked.

"The fire was seen by a neighbour from a street behind it and around the corner.

“It was a bit tight to get down there and we had to go the long way round but we managed to get in and get it down and prevented the trees from going up.”