Concerns grow over steep increase in battery fires

There was a blaze inside a bin lorry in Peterborough in May after a disposable vape caught fire

Firefighters in Cambridgeshire have put out 33 battery-related blazes since January 2023.

The county's fire service said 10 of the incidents involved batteries catching fire in bin lorries.

It came after the National Fire Chief Council warned fires involving lithium-ion batteries were "a disaster waiting to happen".

Authorities across Cambridgeshire have since urged residents not to bin batteries or electrical gadgets.

Greater Cambridge Shared Waste said bin lorry and recycling centre fires were becoming increasingly common due to the increased disposal of electronic items.

Seven lorries had caught fire in the Greater Cambridge area in 2024, it said.

The waste service, shared by South Cambridgeshire District Council and Cambridge City Council, started putting posters on the sides of its bin lorries last month as part of a disposal awareness campaign.

A damaged battery can cause highly reactive lithium to catch fire

Rob Olivier, head of community fire safety at Cambridgeshire Fire & Rescue Service, said batteries were an increased fire hazard when compacted.

"A damaged battery can lead to ignition of the highly reactive lithium, leading to a fire starting," he said.

Research by Recycle Your Electricals showed battery fires in bin lorries and waste sites across the UK have reached an all-time high.

There have been 1,200 over the past year, up from 700 in 2022.

Natalie Warren-Green, cabinet member for environmental services and licensing at South Cambridgeshire District Council, said batteries, vapes and small electrical items should be recycled at local collection points.

She added that homes with their own bins could recycle batteries by leaving them in sealed bags on top of wheelie bin lids.