Bin collections not impacted as Northampton waste management centre hit by battery fire

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) was called to reports of a fire at a waste management centre on Edgar Mobbs Way in Northampton shortly before 3.30am on April 14.

NFRS said the warehouse fire was ‘large’ and that seven crews tackled it at the height of the blaze.

Just after 8am the fire was under control and just one crew remained on site dampening down the remaining fire and hotspots.

Is was suspected that the waste management company involved was Veolia, which operates the council’s bin collection contract and is located in Edgar Mobbs Way.

Although initially not providing comment, Veolia has since confirmed to the Chron that it was the company affected by the fire.

A Veolia spokesperson said: “We can confirm that a fire broke out at the transfer station on Edgar Mobbs Way in the early hours of Monday 14th April.

"All protocols were followed by our employees and Northamptonshire Fire Service attended the site to extinguish the fire and ensure the safety of our people.

"Thankfully, nobody was hurt and bin collections will not be impacted. “The cause of the fire was a lithium ion battery that had been incorrectly disposed of.”

Veolia said it wanted to remind residents never to bin batteries and small electrical items, and to check the council website for safe recycling options.