Lidl boss praises emergency services after fire at Peterborough distribution centre

The boss of Lidl has praised the work of emergency services after a fire broke out at the Peterborough distribution centre on Friday afternoon.

More than 50 firefighters were called to the blaze in Alwalton at about 1.50pm on Friday.

The fire is believed to have been caused by an electrical fault on the solar panels on the roof.

Today, Jasper Parsons, Regional Director at Lidl GB said: “On behalf of the team here at Lidl I would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to the police and fire crews that attended our Peterborough distribution centre on Friday afternoon. Working quickly and meticulously they did an exceptional job of keeping everyone safe, whilst containing and ultimately extinguishing the fire that broke out on the roof of the building.

“We are also extremely grateful to our neighbours and fellow retail colleagues at Amazon, who kindly opened their doors, providing our teams with support and access to their welfare facilities.

“And finally, I would like to thank all of my own colleagues here at Lidl for their swift actions and clear decision making.

“As a result of everyone’s collective efforts we were able to resume operations in the early evening.”

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “Eleven fire engines, a water carrier and aerial appliance attended with over 50 firefighters. Crews did an excellent job containing the fire to the roof, using approximately 15 lengths of hose connected together and pumping water from an open water source to get water up to the roof.”