'Small fire' still burning at Taunton Recycling Centre after major accidental blaze
The fire broke out in the early hours of October 3
Taunton residents faces further weeks of long drives to get rid of household waste following an “accidental” fire at their local recycling centre.
Around 60 fire-fighters and seven fire engines were called to the blaze at the material recovery facility (MRF) within the Priorswood household waste recycling centre in the early hours of the morning on Tuesday, October 3.
The site, which is owned and managed by Biffa on behalf of Somerset Council, remains closed to the public, with a small fire still burning on site as of Thursday (October 12).
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service has confirmed that the fire was caused accidentally, with the contents of the MRF building being “completely destroyed” by the blaze.
Until the site can safely reopen – which may takes weeks – residents must continue trekking to Bridgwater or Wellington to get rid of items such as tyres, wooden furniture and small electrical items.
A spokesman for the fire service said: “This was a fire involving domestic recycling material including large amounts of plastic, cardboard and associated machinery.
“The fire was contained to one building, but the contents were completely destroyed by fire and 80 per cent of the building was damaged by fire. It was an accidental cause.
“At its height, eight fire appliances, two aerial ladder platforms, an incident command unit, high volume pump and water bowser were in attendance.
“Crews used two aerial ladder platforms, water jets, breathing apparatus and a high-volume pump to take water from a nearby canal.”
The MRF is right next to the public recycling site and considered structurally unsafe, with specialist engineers are due to assess it early next week once they can enter safely.
Around 1,200 people regularly use the Priorswood site every weekend to dispose of recyclable material – including those who do not subscribe to the council’s garden waste collection service, or whose items are too bulky to be collected at the kerbside.
Both Bridgwater and Wellington’s recycling centres will remain open seven days a week to take up the slack, with staff who would have been deployed at Taunton being relocated to these two sites to ensure delays are minimal.
Kerbside recycling collections are unaffected, and residents should use them as usual.
Councillor Dixie Darch, portfolio holder for climate change and the environment, said: “I want to thank residents for their patience and understanding. We are sorry that you cannot access the site yet.
“Teams are working hard to find the best way to make the site safe, but please bear with us while plans are put in place to reopen.”
The recycling centre lies within a wider industrial area between the River Tone and the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal, to the south of the Priorswood residential area and a stone’s throw from the Monkton Heathfield urban extension.
Residents are urged to stay away from the site, to heed the ‘road closed’ signs nearby, and to keep their doors and windows closed in areas which may still be affected by smoke.
Since the MRF is privately operated by Biffa, by decision to replace, repair or reopen it will lie with the company rather than the council – with the latter promising that any repair or replacement “will not be funded by the taxpayer”.