LAST Friday, I was in Silk Mill Street when I happened to see what I initially thought was water vapour coming out of an electrical manhole in the car park. However, the heat and smell made me realise that it was smoke, and it was just inches from parked cars and few yards from the cottages.

Another bystander had noticed it too and the fire brigade was called.

They arrived fairly promptly, and about 10 minutes later another fire engine arrived, only this one could not get into Silk Mill Street, because someone had parked on the corner, which inevitably would have caused an impressive tailback.

If ever there was an argument for introducing triple yellow lines on both corners of this street, so no one can park there, this is it.

But I digress, for it was indeed fortuitous that this incident occurred on that day and we can count our blessings that it was two days later when the Makers Market is on. As we know, Princess Street is closed and is full of stalls and people milling about.

The fire brigade would not have stood a chance of getting to the problem in Silk Mill Street. A few weeks ago, a retired fireman wrote to voice his concern about the Makers Market being held in Princess Street, yet somehow the town council continue to ignore this inconvenient truth.

Well, they can no longer ignore it, nor the residents concerns about fire be dismissed as scaremongering. Never again can they say that this would not happen in Knutsford. It can – and it did.

Sue Cussons, Knutsford