Watch: Refuse lorry catches fire during bin collection rounds in Peterborough
A refuse lorry operated by Peterborough City Council caught fire during bin collection rounds in the Paston area.
Flames could be seen coming from the rear of the lorry and the crew alerted the fire service..
No one was hurt in the incident which occurred at about 12.35pm on November 4 in the Fulbridge Road and Francis Gardens area.
The incident was spotted by ward representative Councillor Alex Rafiq, who photographed the fire.
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He said: “I was driving when I saw smoke coming from the refuse lorry.
"I pulled over to see if I could help.
He said: “We think the fire was probably caused by a discarded vape or battery.
"It just shows that residents should be careful what they put In their bins and take extra care to double check.
Cllr Rafiq added: “The refuse lorry was taken back to its depot under escort by the fire service in case the flames started again.”
A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire fire service said: “At 12.34pm on November 4 and crews from Dogsthorpe and Stanground were called to a fire on Fulbridge Road in New England, Peterborough.
"Firefighters arrived to find a fire involving a bin lorry, which was safely taken to a nearby depot.
"They extinguished the fire using a hose reel and returned to their stations by 1.50pm.
The spokesperson added: “The cause of the fire was accidental.”
A spokesperson for Peterborough City Council said: “We can confirm that one of our refuse vehicles experienced a fire during a collection round yesterday morning and fire crews attended the scene.
"We are currently assessing the incident, but can confirm that no injuries to crew members were reported and the vehicle was returned to service following inspection after the incident."
Earlier this year, the city council issued a warning to residents to be careful about disposing used batteries and vapes with household rubbish.
It came after a blaze in a refuse lorry in Crabtree, Paston, in September this year.
A council spokesperson said: “We ask residents to check electrical items before recycling and to remove any batteries.”
She said there had been three minor incidents at the recycling centre over the year caused by batteries being discarded with the waste.