The troubling fire record of UK recycling plants

There are more than 300 fires a year at UK waste and recycling plants. New guidance hopes to reduce this statistic

Fire crews were called out on Tuesday to extinguish a major fire at a waste plant in the West Midlands town of Oldbury. It's very likely another recycling centre will be calling the fire services this month.

There were on average more than 300 fires per year at waste and recycling plants in the UK between 2001 and 2013. In May, 40 firefighters tackled a blaze that burned for two days at a recycling plant near Rotherham. The same month, 24 residents were evacuated from their homes in Manchester after computer parts went up in flames at a recycling plant in Swinton.