A bogus firefighter left a town without emergency cover when he diverted its only available fire appliance to pump out a flooded pub.

Peter Jennings claimed to be a senior fire officer from Liverpool, who had driven 200 miles (320 km) from his home to help out during the recent floods in Gloucestershire. In fact, Jennings was a serial hoaxer with a history of turning up at incidents dressed as a firefighter.

Magistrates in Stroud, Gloucestershire, were told yesterday that Jennings, 49, had ordered the fire appliance from Cheltenham to pump out The Canterbury pub in Tewkesbury, leaving the town without any fire cover. Because he was dressed in the uniform of a commander, no one questioned his order. He was only unmasked when a police officer from Merseyside recognised him on a television news report.

The court was told that Jennings had immediately begun directing operations on the ground. Although Jennings was “fixated” with the brigade, the closest that he had come to being a fireman was working as a volunteer helper at a fire service museum.

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Peter Ashby, for the prosecution, said: “Mr Jennings was using a vehicle with fire service equipment, wearing fire service equipment and purporting to be a chief officer of the fire service, a senior officer comparable to the rank of chief inspector of the police. It was a senior fire service uniform so the other employees took orders from him. He deployed one fire appliance from Cheltenham, leaving Cheltenham short of one fire appliance.

“It was used to pump water away from The Canterbury public house in Tewkesbury, where he appears to have stayed at some stage. The offi-cers were responding to that, including removing a grate and other items from the property.”

Jennings, who is on disability benefit, admitted three charges of obstructing emergency workers.

But he denied stealing his uniform from the Merseyside Fire Service Museum at Crosby Fire Station in Liverpool, where he worked as a volunteer for 18 months. The museum claims that it owns the uniform, which includes a helmet, a fire and rescue fluorescent bib, blue firefighter’s tunic, two pairs of fire service trousers and braces, a Fire and Rescue Brigade flag, two Merseyside Fire Brigade name badges, a pocket book cover and rank insignia.

Mr Ashby said: “The defendant had been told not to come back to the museum as there had been reports from operational officers that he had been turning up at incidents — on occasion turning up before the fire service.

“In one incident, officers turned up to a scrap metal yard to find the defendant, in a fire service uniform, had used a hydration pump. It is a danger that the defendant has a fixation with the fire service.”

The court was told that Jennings had been out of work since becoming disabled in 1988, when working in construction at a tunnel that collapsed.

Joan Hughes, for the defence, said that her client had only been trying to help. She added: “He came down to Gloucestershire with very good intentions. All he wanted to do was help. Unfortunately he didn’t realise that by deploying the pump, he would be leaving Cheltenham without fire service cover.”

Jennings was bailed to reappear at the court on September 7, when he will stand trial for theft.

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