Cause of Devizes recycling centre fire being investigated

An investigation is under way into the cause of a major fire at a recycling centre.

Five fire crews from across Wiltshire were called to Stert, near Devizes, at about 23:00 GMT on Wednesday.

The fire was brought under control but crews will remain on-site for several days to ensure the site is safe.

David Adamson, of Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, said there was no risk to the public and that the investigation was in its early stages.

Fire appliances from Calne, Pewsey, Royal Wootton Bassett and Trowbridge were called to the scene

Around 200-300 tonnes of waste was engulfed by flames when firefighters arrived at the site.

They have since brought in a high-volume pumping appliance to supply water to the incident ground and crews are working with recycling centre staff to move waste affected by the fire.

As a result, temporary traffic lights were installed on the A342, to protect fire hose lines that have been laid across the carriageway.

"It's not being left as a controlled burn, and being left to burn, we are actively extinguishing the fire and removing the material from the site," said Mr Adamson.

"We don't know the cause of the fire yet. The cause will be subject to a fire investigation and that's in its early stages."

Near-by residents were told to keep their windows closed on Wednesday night

Paul Mortimer, from Grist Environmental, said the fire was prevented from spreading by the concrete floor, concrete walls and a soil bund on two sides.

Fire service group manager, Richard Coleman, added: "All of the contaminated water is contained within the site's bunded area, which is being cleared regularly to protect the watercourse.

"We anticipate maintaining our current approach for the next couple of days and ask people to bear with us while this work is ongoing."