The Waterford City Fire Service has appealed to members of the public not to take pictures or videos of accidents that they may come across.

It made its call following the tragic death of a two-year-old girl in Waterford city earlier this week. Daenerys Crosbie was on her way to Montessori with her mother on Tuesday morning when her buggy was hit by a truck.

However according to the Waterford City Fire Service, the crew that attended the scene ‘were astounded by the number of people trying to capture the incident on their phones'.

"This has been an ongoing trend for a number of years now, never better illustrated than at a road traffic accident not too long ago, where a man in his 30s, not a teenager, crept up, phone poised and recording, to within 10 feet or so of a car where we were trying to extricate the driver while the ambulance crew were treating him. The driver died en route to hospital," the service said.

It described the act of taking pictures of accidents as ‘ghoulish, thoughtless and extremely distasteful' and emphasised that the dignity of those involved should be respected. If it is not, this can add to the grief and anguish felt by their loved ones.

"So if you know somebody who considers this kind of thing alright, ask them to think about it just a little more," the service added.