Fire at Braintree waste site 'is 12th in recent years'

The fire on 12 May was the latest in a dozen incidents at the Braintree site

A fire at a waste disposal site is the latest in a dozen at the same location in recent years, the BBC has confirmed.

About 600 tonnes of mixed textiles went up in flames at Straits Mill, Braintree, Essex on Sunday evening.

Renew Recycling (London) Limited - which is responsible for the waste - was fined in 2023 for breaching rules imposed by the Environment Agency.

The firm has not responded to the BBC's request for comment.

'Not a natural occurrence'

Craig McLellan, of Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS), said there had been "approximately 12 fires, three of significance" at the site, near Convent Lane, in recent years, including two in the last week.

"It's always a concern to us when we have repeated fires," he said.

"We've investigated them all. The majority of causes have come back as undetermined, but I can say that it hasn't been a natural occurrence by self-heating of that material".

Several tonnes of waste, which ECFRS hopes will be removed soon, remains at the site

The Environment Agency went there 24 times between December 2017 and March 2019, and found waste such as wood and carpet material being stored illegally.

The fire service attended in 2018 and raised concerns about the fire risk, with tests showing wood there had been reaching internal temperatures of 65C (149F).

Renew Recycling (London) Limited and its directors were fined more than £20,000 in April 2023 for storing waste illegally at the site.

Chelmsford Crown Court also issued orders for the site to be cleared of waste.

Craig McLellan said the brigade was "concerned" by repeated fires

ECFRS told the BBC "a great deal of effort" had gone into clearing the site since then by Renew Recycling, in conjunction with the Environment Agency, but that more work needed to be done.

"We are pushing to get that last remaining part of the textiles off site, which will mean there will no longer be a fire risk," Mr McLellan said.

The Environment Agency told the BBC in a statement that it has "continued to visit the site and monitor progress to ensure legitimate removal is carried out in line with the court's deadlines".

"This site is an active case, and we will be continuing to take appropriate enforcement action," it add added.

Impact on the local environment - which includes a nearby nature reserve - was kept to a minimum during the most recent fire, according to the Environment Agency.

"We'd like to reassure the local community that we take both waste crime and environmental risk very seriously," its spokesperson said.