CREWS tackled a fire at the controversial �1million Waterlees Playground in Wisbech - but only after they were forced to climb over the park’s locked gates.

One crew from Wisbech arrived at the scene at 9.05pm on Sunday to find a small fire inside the compound of the locked-up park.

Firefighters were forced to use a double-sided ladder to enter the playground and extinguished the blaze using water from an aqua pack.

Alan Lay, a nearby resident, said: “The fire brigade attended a fire in the playground but they had no key for the gates - so out came the ladders to get to the fire. “This is so typical of the organisation, sorry, lack of it, that is struggling to keep every thing looking normal down at the farce of an adventure playground.”

However, a spokesman for the Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “The incident was a very normal situation for our crews to be involved with.

“It’s not possible, or manageable, for crews to have a key for every public property across the area. There would simply be too many keys and sometimes other crews have to attend incidents in different towns. “The ladders that were used are designed for situations like this one at the park. They are made so that it is equally safe to get up one side of a fence, and down to the ground on the other side, without having to jump.”