Bin collectors were forced to tip approximately nine tonnes of waste onto the road earlier today after smoke appeared from the back of the bin lorry.
Members of Sefton Council's waste management team had no choice but to dump a morning's worth of recycling onto a busy town centre road after smoke began to appear from the back of the lorry. Queens Road in Southport was shut for around four hours on Wednesday, January 11, when the bin collectors on board the lorry became aware of the smoke.
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service were called at 11.09am with firefighters extinguishing the fire with a hose before using thermal imaging to find the cause of the fire among the rubbish, which is yet to be confirmed.
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A council spokesperson said: “We understand an incorrectly disposed of flammable device may have caused this issue."
One man at the scene told the ECHO: "A bin lorry caught fire so they emptied all the rubbish out of the lorry onto the road. The fire engines sprayed it with the hoses. I happened to come out when they emptied it, all the fire engines were there.
"There was no smoke or flames when I came out. I suspect there was a lot of smoke at the time though. They don't know what they're picking up, it's quite dangerous if you think about it. No one knows what people are putting in their rubbish."
Following the waste being dumped on the road, a digger was brought in to clear the majority of the rubbish into a container before street cleaners got to work.
In a full statement released by Sefton Council, a spokesperson said: "During the course of a collection round in Southport today (Wednesday, January 11) a waste management crew became aware of smoke in the rear of a waste collection vehicle. Our professional crews acted swiftly to ensure all relevant safety measures were taken and, as a precaution, they were advised by emergency services to unload the contents of the vehicle onto the carriageway.
“We understand an incorrectly disposed of flammable device may have caused this issue and we would like to take this opportunity to remind residents of their responsibilities when correctly disposing of harmful or flammable materials. A street cleansing team is currently on-site to ensure the carriageway is cleared of any debris to ensure the road is reopened as quickly as possible.
“We would like to thank our crew for their swift actions and the emergency services for their support in dealing with this matter.”
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