Another Peterborough bin lorry damaged after batteries cause fire in truck

Another Peterborough bin lorry has been damaged after a fire started in the back of the truck as a result of discarded batteries.

Firefighters were called to a large fire in the back of the truck on Redmile Walk, Dogsthorpe at about 7.45am on Wednesday, March 1.

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service said the cause of the fire was believed to be accidental, due to batteries discarded in the household rubbish.

The blaze is the latest one in a string of similar incidents in Peterborough which has seen thousands of pounds of damage caused to bin lorries.

In January, the city council said there had been six such fires in the last year, leading to large repair bills and disruption to bin collections.

The cost to repair one truck was £15,000.

To extinguish the fire, the contents of the truck often have to be emptied out on the road, and moved to another truck when the fire has been extinguished.

Residents are being urged to recycle batteries instead of throwing them in the bin,

In January, a council spokesperson said: “There is an impact on our staff, rounds are delayed and the time has to be made up, we are calling out Fire & Rescue services (away from other incidents) and then the streets have to be cleaned up.

"Repairs are costly, in 2022 one fire caused £15,000 worth of damage to a vehicle.”

A Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “Incidents like this can sometimes be caused by batteries that have been thrown in with household rubbish.

“Batteries can be a fire hazard, especially when they are compacted and damaged when mixed in with household waste. The spark can ignite the highly reactive lithium, leading to a fire.

“We would urge residents to make sure they dispose of batteries correctly at the appropriate recycling facility.

“To safely dispose of them, batteries should be taken to local recycling centres, or, for household batteries, many shops have collection bins in-store.

“You can find your closest collection point online.”