Firefighters’ time wasted

FIREFIGHTERS have urged people not to make hoax calls after their time was wasted following a ‘malicious’ call out to a Portsmouth pub.

Crews from Southsea and Cosham rushed to a premises in Albert Road, Southsea, at 12.55am on Friday after reports of smoke coming from the fire exit of the building.

When they arrived a ‘confused’ landlord came down after ‘hearing the commotion’ and showed them that there was no fire. Firefighters traced the call to a phone box.

Cosham were then promptly called to a skip fire at the Veolia waste site in Quartremaine Road, which was ‘quickly’ extinguished.

A firefighter from Southsea told The News: ‘‘When we got there there was nothing at all. If there had been a real fire happening at the time that would have delayed us getting there.’