Smoke warning over long-running waste fire

The fire service said it would continue to review its approach to the blaze

An agricultural waste fire which has been burning for over a fortnight could produce more smoke in coming days, the fire service has said.

Crews were first called to the blaze, on Howbrook Lane in Wortley, on the border between Barnsley and Sheffield, on 27 September, but later decided to leave it to burn to reduce the impact on wildlife and water sources.

South Yorkshire Fire Service said that steps were being taken this week to speed up the process and warned that it could temporarily increase smoke levels.

A spokesperson said: "If conditions in the area do not improve, we will continue to review our tactics for tackling this incident alongside our partner agencies."

In order to accelerate the burning process, the landowner would use machinery to drag out the pile of waste while firefighters monitored the scene, a fire service spokesperson said.

"In the short term, this means there may be smoke in the area for a few days, but, in the long term, it should lead to the smoke and smell ceasing," they added.

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