Telford recycling plant fire 'a disaster' for the town

One side of the building was being demolished over the weekend

A fire at an abandoned recycling plant may take several years to clean up and is a "disaster" for Telford, says its MP.

Conservative Lucy Allan said she would speak to Environment Secretary George Eustice and hold a public meeting about the fire at Greenway Polymers, Ketley.

"This is deeply shocking. The long-term impact on Telford is huge," she said.

Demolition work is taking place at the site to reach waste which has been burning for nearly two weeks.

Nearby residents were advised to close doors and windows as smoke was "increasing" as the work was carried out.

At the height of the blaze on 26 April more than 70 firefighters were involved. The fire closed part of the M54 motorway for several days and also led to the temporary closure of six schools and a nursery over air quality concerns.

Ms Allan, writing on Facebook, said the fire was "deeply shocking".

"The long-term impact on Telford is huge: our natural environment, air, water, health, schools - the multi million cost of the clean up, which could take several years."

Craig Jackson, Shrewsbury's station manager, said demolition crews were removing metal machinery so the waste could be reached and put out safely.

Work over the weekend also included removing one side of the affected building to give them access.

Firefighters previously said dismantling it would be a "big challenge".

Heat from the fire, involving plastic waste bales, had made the steel frame of the building housing them unsafe.

A fire investigation has started to identify the cause and the Environment Agency has been monitoring air quality in the area.