16 October 2023 , 15:15
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An ex-firefighter who bought a fully working fire engine to protect the thatched roof on his historic house is selling the unique vehicle online for less than £4,000 on Facebook Marketplace.
Kris Saxby, 61, also used the vehicle to drop off his three kids at school until he was told to stop as it was worrying the other parents. He says the 30-year-old fire engine is now ‘surplus to requirements’ as he has new fire safety features at his property near Wingham, Kent.
The dad has made the most of having a functioning 1994 Dennis machine - that still has ladders, functioning pumps, uniforms and even oxygen masks - and was forced to use it when embers from a fire closeby threatened his house. He admitted that on-duty firefighters weren't expecting to see the blaze tackled before their arrival.
The vehicle is still in working condition and Kris has even used it to put out fires himself (Facebook)Kris told Kent Online: "When the official firefighters arrived, they were surprised to see me already hosing it down. It's not your everyday vehicle and so a bit specialist for Facebook Marketplace but I thought I'd give it a go.
“It's been standing in a field for quite a while but we put a couple of new batteries in it recently and it fired up first time and is certainly a runner, but needs a bit of TLC. I have even picked up brides and grooms in it, which was quite fun.”
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The quirky former firefighter has listed the machine for a modest £3,800 after reducing it from £4,200. If it doesn’t sell, he is planning to convert it into a bar at the Marleybrook House Wedding Venue with his wife Janie, which they took over around seven years ago.
“We’ve had lots of people clicking on (the listing) but no actual offers yet,” he explained. “It’s worth noting that it doesn’t need an MOT certificate and is road tax free but anyone driving it will need the relevant HGV class licence.”