Selfish parking blocks ambulance responding to seriously ill person in Camber

The South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) crew was responding to the incident on Sunday (July 18).

However, due to ‘selfish parking’, SECAmb said it took the paramedics twice as long to reach the patient.

A SECAmb spokesman said popular coastal areas, including Camber, often present problems for emergency crews due to inconsiderate parking from the large number of people visiting the beaches during the hot weather.

SECAmb said: “Selfish parking seriously impacts our ability to reach some patients quickly, especially in popular coastal areas.

“On Sunday it took this crew twice as long to reach a seriously ill patient at Camber. Please park sensibly.”

Over the weekend, which saw temperatures closing in on 30 degrees, roads leading to and from Camber Sands saw severe delays with reports of ‘stop-start’ traffic on the Camber Road and Lydd Road both ways between Folkestone Road and Broomhill.

Ahead of the weekend, SECAmb had warned people to take extra care in the warmer weather due to the high demand the service has faced in recent weeks as temperatures increase and restrictions ease.

Operation Radcott is an annual initiative bringing together East Sussex County Council Rother District Council, Sussex Police, the RNLI, HM Coastguard, South East Coast Ambulance, East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service and local stakeholders, which aims to improve safety at Camber Sands.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Operation Radcott has been meeting weekly to manage the unprecedented number of visitors seen outside of the traditional summer season.

A spokesman for Operation Radcott said: “A great deal of planning goes into making the summer seasons at Camber Sands as safe and successful as possible and we regularly review the measures in place. While there are no easy answers, we are currently working in partnership to further review measures to deal with traffic management.

“The warm weather can attract more than 25,000 to the beach which causes severe traffic congestion and we continue to urge people who do visit to drive and park considerately and consider alternative places to visit on busy days.

“Before setting off, those heading to Camber Sands can find out how busy the beach is likely to be by downloading the free Beach Check UK app.”