Warning as fuel can with petrol left in recycling

People have been urged to play their part in preventing waste site fires after a fuel can containing petrol was left out for recycling teams to collect.

North West Leicestershire District Council issued an alert over the "serious fire risk" the container posed after it was discovered on Friday at a depot following kerbside collections.

The council warned it could have caused "serious injury to staff" as well as "significant damage to collection vehicles and recycling machinery".

It added: "Even if the fuel can is empty, we cannot collect them. For safe and legal disposal, speak to your garage or contact a registered hazardous waste disposal company."

Residents placing potentially explosive items such as batteries into household rubbish and recycling is a growing problem, according to Joe Warren, station manager for community safety at Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service.

He said: "Fire and rescue services across the country are attending an increasing number of fires at waste sites.

"It's really important that we all do our best to help prevent these fires, as they can be very dangerous.

"Dispose of materials and devices correctly. In particular, rechargeable devices such as vapes, mobile phones, tablets, laptops and e-scooters, all of which contain lithium-ion batteries, should be disposed of responsibly.

"These batteries can cause intense fires.

"Also, fire accelerants, such as petrol, must be disposed of properly via specialised hazardous waste sites, and never left unattended in a public place."

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