Renfrewshire councillor pushes for tighter safety rules for battery recycling plants
Janis McDonald and her family had to clean away ash from her garden after the fire.
A Renfrewshire councillor is promising to push for tighter safety procedures inside battery recycling facilities following a huge fire in Linwood on Sunday night.
Janis McDonald lives a quarter of a mile away from the WEEE solutions plant which is operated by Enva and spent hours cleaning ash from her garden.
She told Clyde 1: "Myself and my family had to hose down the garden and the furniture was all covered in black soot.
"There is still a smell which is a mix of chemicals and smoke, but it is not as strong as it was."
Emergency crews got a call about the fire around 9.15pm and spent nearly 24 hours bringing it under control and major road closures were in place around Linwood Industrial Estate.
Nobody was injured though.
Janis added: "I am concerned that I have been breathing in the effects of the fire.
"The air seems thicker and the smell was foul - we just did not know what the effects were.
"I think we might need to consider how far away people's house are from these types of facilities in future.
"It is a tricky balance to strike because we need the plants close by to recycle materials, but health and safety is paramount."
A spokesperson for Enva said: We can confirm that a fire was reported at 21.15 (Sunday 23 June) at our WEEE Solutions e-waste facility in Linwood, Renfrewshire.
"Our emergency response procedure was immediately initiated and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service are currently on site and dealing with the incident which has now been contained.
"We would like to apologise to local residents and businesses for any inconvenience caused and kindly ask them to follow any advice issued by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
"There have been no injuries and the cause of the fire will be the subject of an immediate and thorough investigation.
"We will be contacting any customers impacted as soon as possible to ensure continuity of service.
"Our Linwood general waste recycling facility, whilst unaffected by the fire, will remain closed until the emergency services’ cordon is lifted and operational responsibility for the site is returned to Enva.
"We would like to thank the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and the police for their extremely prompt and professional response."
We've asked Renfrewshire Council for comment.
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