Recycling plant fire leaves neighbour 'heartbroken'

16 September 2024

Shivani ChaudhariBBC News, Essex

News image — Essex Packaging Supplies is next door to the recycling centre and has traded in the area for more than 40 years

Owen Ward/BBC The metal-clad building that houses Essex Packaging Solutions showing the badly damaged roof and you can no longer see the firm's name in full on the front. — Essex Packaging Supplies is next door to the recycling centre and has traded in the area for more than 40 years

A man has been left "heartbroken" after his business was left badly damaged after a fire at the neighbouring recycling centre broke out.

Essex fire crews were called to Hovefields Avenue in Basildon at 01:15 BST on Saturday.

Firefighters remained on the site across the weekend and a fire service spokesperson said crews were due to stay at the site for the next five days.

Scott Wright, the owner of Essex Packaging Supplies next door, said: "[I am] heartbroken if I'm honest - it's 46 years of my life just gone up in smoke."

Video shows flames and smoke filling the sky in Basildon

Owen Ward/BBC Image of cars parked on the side of the road and smoke coming out of the recycling centre. — Essex County Fire and Rescue Service has been at the industrial estate since the early hours of Saturday

A couple of streets away on Harvey Road, Jonathan Bowler is the owner of tinplate merchants HJ Bowler & Sons - the fourth generation of his family to run the firm over a140-year period.

"If I lost my business because of our neighbours, I would be really frustrated," he said.

"It is worrying that any of our neighbours could go up in flames.

"I feel something needs to be done. It is really concerning."

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service Large blaze at a recycling centre — Fire crews arrived at the scene in the early hours of Saturday morning

The A127 borders the northern edge of the Hovefields Avenue industrial estate.

A little further east along the A127, Oscar Saunders, business development manager at Lime BDS Ltd Garage Doors showroom, said the fire had caused a backlog of traffic on the main road.

"We are not a massive business, so it is not ideal," he said.

"It is frustrating when it takes so long to deal with."

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service Workers trying to put out the fire at a large recycling centre — Fire crews are expected to remain on the scene for the next five days

Ryan Roseman, manager at Toomey Body Shop on Hovefields Avenue, said the stench from the fire had been "horrendous" and his business was closed on Saturday due to the blaze.

"We couldn't repair any vehicles," he said.

"At the end of the day we have to do a job, but the safety of our customers is important."

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