Cause of scrap yard fire 'totally expected' - boss

Network Rail had to close the nearby railway line due to fire, causing major disruption to trains

A boss of a scrap metal yard that was ravaged by a fire has said the cause of the fire was "totally expected".

Sackers scrap metal recycling yard at Great Blakenham near Ipswich was engulfed by a major fire on Thursday.

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Fire Service concluded the blaze was caused by a discarded battery.

David Dodds, chief executive at Sackers, said more education was needed about the proper way to discard of batteries.

"They are the scourge of the recycling industry," he explained to BBC Radio Suffolk.

"We process 125,000 tonnes a year - a battery that can cause damage like it did weighs 500g.

"It is really difficult to look at every piece of metal that comes through our yard at that volume."

Mr Dodds added that there needed to be more public awareness around lithium-ion batteries that cannot be discarded in normal waste.

The National Fire Chiefs Council said in May that lithium-ion batteries thrown in household rubbish bins had led to more than 1,200 fires in the UK waste system in the past 12 months, compared to 700 in 2022.

"It's all down to the general public not educated enough in the danger that these lithium-ion batteries can cause," Mr Dodds continued.

"There isn't enough recycling centres that can take all these batteries."

Nearby homes and businesses had to keep windows and doors shut for 24 hours due to the fire

Following the fire, which saw 80 firefighters attend, nearby residents expressed concerns.

Last year saw two other fires happen at the site.

Mr Dodds explained the company had "invested a lot of money" in its safety procedures.

"There will be further investment into firefighting equipment that we have on our site," he said.

"[A fire] is the last thing we want on our site.

"We are a production-based business, we want to be producing.

"We do not want these fires, we do not want lithium-ion batteries on our site full stop.

"We want to be good neighbours."

Mr Dodds said the company would "continue to improve" and was investing in more fire safety equipment including thermal imaging fire retention equipment.

"It's a serious amount of money but we're a serious business and we intend to do the job properly," he added.