Demolition of fire ravaged Somerset waste plant to begin
A waste plant in Somerset is to be demolished following a fire which ripped through the site. Around 60 firefighters and seven fire engines were called to the blaze[1] at the material recovery facility (MRF) within the Priorswood household waste recycling centre, Taunton, in the early hours of the morning on Tuesday, October 3.
The site, which is owned and managed by Biffa on behalf of Somerset Council[2], remains closed to the public[3]. Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service has confirmed the fire was caused accidentally, with the contents of the MRF building being ‘completely destroyed’ by the blaze.
Now structural engineers have confirmed that the Material Recovery Facility will need to be demolished[4] before the public part of the site can be safely re-opened. Biffa has instructed a demolition company to carry out the work which is expected to begin before the end of October. It is not yet known how long the work will take.
Wellington and Bridgwater[7] recycling sites will continue to open seven days a week – supported by staff redeployed from Taunton – until the Taunton site can safely reopen. Both Wellington and Bridgwater saw a large influx of visitors last weekend and advice is to save visits for a weekday if possible.
However, Wellington[8] is particularly busy on a Wednesday, so residents are advised to use the Bridgwater site if practical and avoid Wednesday in Wellington. Kerbside collections are not affected by the closure and residents should continue to put their refuse and recycling out as usual.
A Somerset Council[9] spokesman said: “To ensure the safety of the public, the recycling site cannot open until the demolition has taken place.” Residents who would usually use the Taunton site are asked to either hold onto their recycling if it can wait, put it in their kerbside recycling if appropriate or visit one of the county’s other 15 sites.
References
- ^ blaze (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
- ^ Somerset Council (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
- ^ remains closed to the public (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
- ^ demolished (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
- ^ Bridgwater Carnival 2023: Where to park, when it starts and the route of the procession (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
- ^ Huge Lego festival to return to Somerset town (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
- ^ Bridgwater (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
- ^ Wellington (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
- ^ Somerset Council (www.somersetlive.co.uk)