Battery warning after fire at recycling centre

The fire service recovered batteries and disposable vapes

A warning has been issued not to dispose of vapes and batteries in general waste following a fire at a recycling centre.

A blaze broke out in a container at Louth waste centre on Saturday 19 July which had to be tackled by the fire service.

Rachel Stamp from Lincolnshire County Council said firefighters later found a bag containing batteries and possibly disposable vapes.

Ms Stamp said the council's refuse team were seeing "more and more" incidents involving the items.

"If somebody hadn't have been on site, if they hadn't been vigilant, it could have been a really, really serious incident," she said.

"Which obviously puts people's lives at risk."

The centre was closed for several hours while the incident was dealt with.

Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service said that in 2024 it was called to 70 fires caused by discarded electronics and batteries at a waste processing plant near Grantham.

Ms Stamp said batteries and vapes should not be put in general waste, but should be disposed at in specialist containers at waste sites or at some shops and supermarkets.

She also warned they should not be placed in people's domestic bins.

"Exactly the same could happen if you put batteries into your bin that then goes into the bin lorries," she said.

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