A waste freighter was forced to dump its blazing load in the street after an electrical item was suspected to have sparked a fire on board.

The crew, from the South Kesteven District Council (SKDC) waste collection team was unharmed but the fire service was called to deal with the emergency – thought to be caused by a disposable vape or small battery item.

A warning has now been issued to householders to dispose of rubbish correctly and avoid costly and dangerous consequences.

SKDC Cabinet Member for Waste and Climate Change, Cllr Mark Whittington, said: "Anything with a battery inside can cause a fire if you put it in the bin. Please help keep bin crews and other refuse workers safe by disposing of them properly.

"Single use vapes have a battery inside so they can't just go in the bin; they need to be taken to a household waste recycling centre where they can be recycled properly.

"If you have a refillable vape, you can pop the batteries out and take them to the local council tip.

"You can also recycle small batteries at local supermarkets, an electrical retailer or recycling centre.

"In this instance, the fire was spotted quickly, and the correct action taken. The driver safely ejected seven tonnes of recycling waste, waste that unfortunately cannot now go for recycling. I would like to express my thanks as the fast and correct actions of our crew undoubtedly helped minimise the impact of what happened.

"Three fire engines were in attendance and police closed the road for four hours whilst the fire was fully put out and the waste could safely be removed. The fire service had to water down the lorry from the outside to the inside to make it save."

No one was injured. Image credit: SKDC.

The incident happened on Grantham Road, Ingoldsby, at around 1pm on Monday 6 March 2023. The freighter was undamaged.

Across Lincolnshire, there have been several instances of carelessly discarded electronics. A Lincoln bin lorry had to shed its load onto a city street after a battery caught fire in the back. And in Boston, an electrical appliance caused a fire in one of their collection vehicles in April.

Anything with batteries inside, or with a plug, should not go in household bins and needs to be recycled separately.

Waste is compacted several times on its journey from home to the energy from waste plant or recycling centre, and it takes just one battery to create a spark that can set the whole load alight.

Battery recycling points can now be found at most supermarkets, and electronics and batteries - including car batteries – can be recycled at the local household waste recycling centres.

See what you can recycle at your local Household Waste Recycling Centre and find details of your nearest site online.

Check you're putting the right thing in the right bin at home by visiting the SKDC website.