By Deborah Hardiman

Copyright expressandstar

Crews were called out to Site Clear Solutions off Conduit Road in Norton Canes at 5pm on Monday (September 22) where they put out the flames and smoke which could be seen from the surrounding area.

The fire started accidentally and no-one was hurt.

Site Clear Solutions director Derek Finnegan said: “The incident happened at the end of the working day. The fire was spotted by our operatives who reported it. The fire service has praised the staff and the company for the professional way that we dealt with it. It’s been business as usual since then.”

The Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service stated: “Six appliances attended the scene and found a large fire involving recycling waste and lithium-ion batteries. Nobody was reported injured and the fire was extinguished using hose reel jets and main jets.

“Crews remained at the scene overnight to dampen down hotspots and the fire was deemed to have been caused accidentally.

Brigade station manager Jordan Money, who attended the scene, said: “I would like to remind people to dispose of lithium-ion batteries appropriately as they pose a significant fire risk when damaged.

“These batteries should never be disposed of with household waste. They should be placed in dedicated battery recycling bins instead.”

Residents and businesses are being urged to think twice about charging lithium-ion battery operated gadgets overnight and storage due to an increase in fires linked to them.

The West Midlands Fire Service has seen a “50 per cent increase in fires linked to lithium-ion batteries in e-bikes and e-scooters” over the last two years. There have also been reports of house fires linked to rechargeable batteries.