Telford building collapse fears over plastic waste fire

The blaze involves large bales of plastic waste left at an abandoned recycling plant

A building on fire at an abandoned recycling plant in Telford could collapse, firefighters have warned.

The blaze involving plastic waste bales started on Monday at Greenway Polymers, Ketley, and, at its height, 70 firefighters were at the scene.

Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service said the heat from the fire had made the steel frame of the building unsafe.

The Environment Agency said the site was no longer in use and only abandoned waste had been stored there.

It said the landowner had been told he was currently responsible for the site, after the previous operator left in 2017.

Firefighters were sent to the nearby M54 to stop the fire spreading towards the motorway

Smoke has continued to rise from the fire and nearby residents have been told to keep their doors and windows shut.

Assistant Chief Fire Officer Dan Quinn said crews faced a big challenge to dismantle the building and they could be at the site for a while.

"In terms of expectations, seven to 10 days for that increased presence of the fire service, but we could be here for a long time dealing with the aftermath," he said.

Six schools and a nursery closed earlier in the week over air quality concerns, but Telford & Wrekin Council said they all reopened on Thursday.

Officers from the Environment Agency have been monitoring the quality of water downstream from the site to see if there has been any impact from run-off water.

As well as fighting the blaze at the scene, fire crews have also been on the nearby M54 working to stop the fire spreading.

A closure of the eastbound entry slip road to the motorway at J6 has been removed, Highways England said.