RESIDENTS have questioned why a fire engine from outside Worcester was sent to deal with a blaze in the city.

A crew from Droitwich responded to a car fire outside Lidl supermarket in Newtown Road, Worcester, on Saturday, May 20.

Many locals asked why crews were not dispatched from the nearby station in McKenzie Way, Worcester.

But Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service said their Worcester crews were busy recovering a body from the River Severn.

Peter Pickering, aged 80, of St Peter’s, Worcester, said it seemed a long way for the Droitwich crew to travel and wanted to know why a local crew did not respond.

“They could have got there a lot quicker. If they sent someone from Droitwich to a fire at the hospital it could lead to a death,” he said.

Another reader wrote on Facebook: “Why a fire engine from Droitwich? The Worcester station is right around the corner.”

A fire service spokesman said: “Worcester Fire Station did not respond to this particular incident as all available crews from the station were already assisting police with the body retrieval on the river.

“Fire control therefore dispatched Droitwich to the Lidl incident as they were the closest.”

Firefighters helped to recover a man from a section of the River Severn near to the A4440, in Worcester.

Police believe the body is that of 38-year-old missing man Karl Horton.

Friends described Mr Horton as a ‘lovely’ man and his younger brother has paid tribute to him.