Recycling lorry dumps waste after battery fire

The recycling vehicle's driver dumped its cargo after noticing smoke coming from the rear

A lorry load of recyclable waste had to be dumped on a road after batteries caused it to catch fire.

Dorset Council said discarded batteries caught fire when they were crushed inside the refuse collection vehicle as it operated near Bridport, Dorset.

The driver noticed smoke coming and dumped its cargo onto the road. It was then extinguished by fire fighters.

The council said nobody was injured and the collection vehicle was not damaged.

Dorset Council warned that batteries could catch fire when crushed by a refuse vehicle

In a Facebook post, Dorset Council Waste Services warned batteries could catch fire when crushed inside a recycling vehicle.

It said residents should place batteries in a clear plastic bag on top of their recycling bin rather than being placed inside.

Fires that begin inside lorries are easily spread by recyclable material like cardboard and paper, it added.

In November 2023 a battery fire caused more than £20,000 of damage at a recycling centre in Reading.

In September West Berkshire Council launched a kerbside recycling scheme for batteries in an effort to reduce similar fires.

A single fire crew extinguished the fire in the dumped recycling