Taunton fire: Firefighters tackling blaze at recycling centre

Dozens of firefighters were called to the scene

A recycling centre is to remain closed until further notice after a fire made the facility structurally unsafe.

Around 60 firefighters were called to Taunton Recycling Centre in Somerset after the blaze broke out at about 03:00 BST. Nobody was hurt.

The fire started in a part of the site not usually open to the public.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue service, who are still in attendance. say it is likely the fire will continue for days.

Residents living nearby have been advised to stay inside and keep windows and doors closed.

Whilst the site is closed, Somerset Council has asked people to keep their recycling, or alternatively, put it through kerbside collections or other sites.

'Prioritising children's safety'

Nerrols Primary School, which is located nearby, was closed earlier due to smoke.

Headteacher Matt Kerton said: "Standing in the school car park, I could smell the smoke.

"The fire service told me it would not be safe to have children outside today.

"Bearing in mind a lot of our community walk to school, I took the difficult decision to close the school and nursery for the day.

"I know it has an impact on people's day, but we're prioritising children's safety," he said.

A primary school has closed because of smoke in the area

Doug Farmer, incident commander at the scene said: "We have surrounded it with our resources and we are applying water from a safe position."

"What we can't do is enter the building as there is potential for the building to collapse.

"The materials inside the building are mainly cardboard and some plastics as it's a sorting area for the recycling site," he added.

Councillor Dixie Darch, lead member for environment and climate change said: "We continue to work with Biffa to ensure that we can provide a household waste recycling service, including additional opening days at nearby recycling sites."

A spokesperson from Biffa said an investigation would be starting to establish the cause of the fire.