Crews tackle two Telford skip fires

Firefighters took two hours to deal with a skip fire at a recycling centre in Telford.

Police and fire crews were called out to the blaze at Ketley Community Recycling Centre in Whitchurch Drive shortly before 5.30pm yesterday.

Gareth Walker, crew manager at Tweedale fire station, said it took two hours before the fire was completely out.

"The skip was quite deep and it was full of mattresses and bedding, so the fire was quite deep seated," he said.

"Usually with a skip fire we try to fill the skip to drown the fire, but in this case the water kept leaking out of the skip as fast as we could fill it.

"We damped it down and then we had to wait for a skip lorry driver to arrive to move the skip to open land where he tipped it out and we could fully put it out."

Inspector Nigel Morgan, of West Mercia Police, said: "We will be making further inquiries but at this stage we have no information about anyone acting suspiciously."

Later firefighters were called out to a second skip fire in Springfield Close, Dawley.

Mr Walker said it took just minutes to put out the fire shortly after midnight. The two fires are not believed to be linked.