Peter Jennings, 49, from Alvina Lane, Kirkdale, Liverpool, admitted three charges of obstructing or hindering an employee of the Fire Service during flooding in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire.

Stroud magistrates' court heard that Jennings had assumed command during the emergency and ordered fire pumps to be delivered to a pub in the beleaguered town.

The court was told that Jennings, who used to work at the Fire Service Museum at Crosby, Merseyside, travelled to Gloucestershire at the height of the flooding last week. Dressed in a fire service uniform, he turned up in Tewkesbury on July 24 and pretended to be a chief fire officer.

Peter Ashby, prosecuting, said Jennings started ordering other firefighters to send pumping equipment to the Canterbury public house in Tewkesbury.

Mr Ashby said: "As a result, a fire appliance was deployed from Cheltenham, leaving Cheltenham short of a fire appliance. He was purporting to be a chief fire officer."

Police were alerted to Jennings' behaviour after a Merseyside fire and rescue officer noticed him on a TV report of the flooding.

Mr Ashby said Jennings was known to the police and fire service in Liverpool after turning up at the scenes of several incidents in the area, sometimes wearing fire service uniform.

Joan Hughes, defending, said: "He came down to Gloucestershire with good intentions. All he wanted to do was help."

Dressed in a grey sweatshirt, balding Mr Jennings, appearing in court via video link from Gloucester Prison, spoke only to enter his pleas. He was granted conditional bail until the next hearing. The case was adjourned for a progression hearing at Gloucester magistrates' court on September 7.