Recycling centre fire prompts battery warning

A fire caused by a battery which was incorrectly discarded in a skip led to a recycling centre being evacuated, a council said.

Staff at Kenilworth's Cherry Orchard waste and recycling centre spotted smoke and flames coming from a waste skip on Sunday.

Firefighters were called to the small fire which "had quickly spread to a neighbouring skip containing cardboard," said the county council.

They added that further investigations found a member of the public had put a rechargeable lithium-ion battery into a black bag with other household waste. They urged people to put used batteries and vapes in dedicated containers at its centres.

The disruption at the site in Pipers Lane lasted for about 90 minutes and the local authority apologised to customers and residents affected.

"This incident at Cherry Orchard serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of incorrectly disposing of batteries and other hazardous items," said councillor Darren Cheshire, its portfolio holder for environment, heritage and culture.

"We are incredibly grateful to staff at the centre and Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service for their swift and effective response."

Fires at recycling centres and in kerbside bins are most often caused by rechargeable batteries or electrical items that contain them, the council added.

They said every household waste recycling centre (HWRC) in the county had dedicated containers for batteries, vapes and electrical items.

Batteries can also be taken to dedicated bins at retailers, while vapes can be returned to the vendors.

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