Lithium battery causes fire in Lyme Regis bin lorry
We're being urged to get rid of batteries responsibly
A bin lorry's caught fire in Lyme Regis, with Dorset Council's Waste Services asking us to get rid of lithium batteries responsibly.
The blaze happened yesterday morning (Monday 23rd December) in Summerhill Road.
The collection crew noticed smoke coming from the back of the truck, with the driver ejected to load onto Kingsway, where it fully caught alight.
No-one was injured, and the vehicle luckily didn't sustain significant damage.
The cause of the fire was found to be a battery-powered drill, put into the recycling bin.
There's a warning that we should never dispose of that kind of waste in a bin.
In a social media post, Dorset Waste Services said:
"Our crews do not manually sort through the contents of any bins before the contents are crushed in the back of our collection vehicles. Crushed batteries can cause fires, especially when surrounded by highly flammable material like paper, cardboard, and plastic.
"Batteries and battery-powered items can be taken to any of our household recycling centres. Household batteries can be placed in a battery bag (or a clear sealable plastic bag) and left on top of your recycling bin for collection."