Recycling company suffers another fire at one of its plants just a month after being fined £100,000 for environmental breaches

According to a fire service spokesman a call came in from staff at 1.47am this morning to attend a “large fire” at the Mid UK Recycling plant at Caythorpe Heath.

In total, six fire appliances were sent to Caythorpe Heath Lane (two from Sleaford, two from Grantham and a crew from Brant Broughton and another from Newark), along with specialist high volume pumps and hose carriers from Donington and Gainsborough.

Apparently the fire is believed by fire investigators to have been caused by an overheating industrial shredding machine which was damaged along with a conveyor belt and surrounding wood chippings.

According to local social media reports, some residents were alarmed to be woken by a feeling of not being able to breathe because of the smoke in the air drifting in through open bedroom windows because of the hot night.

Residents were advised by the fire service to keep windows and doors closed until the smoke abated.

The crews left the scene some time after 5.30am having put out the fire but a crew will return this morning to inspect again.

A Mid Uk spokesman said: “We had a small fire at 2am this morning on a machine at our Caythorpe site. The site does not operate overnight but our flame detection system picked up the fire and alerted our overnight security supervisor who then followed emergency procedures. Fire crews attended, isolated the fire and extinguished it. They had left the site by 6am.

“There was no danger to personnel or damage to any other equipment. We will be investigating the cause of the fire but there are no suspicious circumstances.”

The recycling company has experienced other fires at its Caythorpe and Barkston Heath sites over the years - seen as a hazard of the recycling industry due to working with such combustible materials.

The waste management company was fined £100,000 in June with fees of £50,000 for breach of environmental regulations following a fire at its Barkston Heath site in July 2015.

As part of the proceedings the company also agreed to pay up to £230,000 to Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service to cover the cost of its services in dealing with the fire at the time.

Recycling company fined £100,000 for breaches after major fire at Barkston Heath