Fire breaks out in Horsham waste collection vehicle as council warns residents over batteries
A waste collection vehicle fire in West Sussex has prompted a fresh warning, over the dangers of putting batteries and other items in household waste.
Horsham District Council said it is ‘again urging residents to recycle responsibly’, following a recent fire in one of its waste collection vehicles.
"West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service were called to deal with the fire that started in one of our waste vehicles in Kilnwood Vale,” the council revealed, in a post on social media.
"Thanks to the quick thinking crew, damage to the vehicle was prevented, but they were forced to empty the contents onto the road.
"A grab lorry was later sent out to clear away the waste.
"Items such as household batteries, vapes, string lights and laptop batteries cannot be collected alongside household waste.
"Collection lorries have compaction equipment which can easily crush these items, causing them to ignite and set fire to other collected materials.”
The council said more information about what can and cannot be recycled, as part of kerbside collections – and how to dispose safely of other items – can be found on its website.