'It was an act of vandalism waiting to happen' - Abandoned rubbish-filled trailer destroyed in fire near Market Drayton prompts anger

Multiple fire crews were called to the A41 at Bletchley on Wednesday night to tackle a large blaze involving an abandoned trailer.

The fire is being treated as "arson" and has sparked outrage amongst civic leaders and campaigners.

Three 40-foot trailers have reportedly sat in laybys along the A53 and A41 near Market Drayton since September last year.

The north Shropshire town's Mayor Roy Aldcroft raised concerns about the trailers at a Shropshire Council meeting in February. 

It came after a petition was set up by Iana Jacobson on behalf of angry residents. The campaigner said she was frustrated with delays and concerned about the environmental impacts of the rubbish-filled trailers.

North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan has reacted to the incident, saying residents deserve an explanation as to why complaints were "ignored", and said the trailers "should have been removed months ago".

The fire came as little surprise to councillor Aldcroft, who said: "It's not a surprise, it was an act of vandalism waiting to happen.

"I think people got fed up of them and it seems like somebody has finally taken the bull by the horn and set it on fire. I am very disappointed that we have had to use fire crews for something that could have been resolved months ago. And, it's just sheer disappointment that there are more costs to get rid of them and now the tarmac might need replacing."

He added: "There were serious concerns from residents and road users regarding these trailers, regarding the state of them and what was in them.

"There were three parties involved, the Environment Agency, Police and Shropshire Council and they were sorting out the costs and how it was going to be dealt with. 

"I was deeply disappointed that nobody including the council was able to take them away and consequently now we have had to have the fire brigade out to make them safe, which was something we said would happen."

A Shropshire Council spokesperson said it was unable to comment on the incident due to an on-going criminal investigation that the authority is waiting to hear the outcome of.  

However, it has responded to campaigner Iana Jacobson who said she submitted a petition to the council which was refused. 

The campaigner said: "Firstly, I am not surprised at the fire, and secondly that was what was concerning me and was why I set up a petition.

"I applied for a petition with the council themselves and they never activated it. What concerns me is that those trailers are an indication that we have problems on our highways and people are going to do damage and maybe hurt other people. 

"It is extremely frustrating. There is something very broken in that these things cannot be sorted in a quicker way."

A spokesperson for Shropshire Council responded by saying: "The petition was not refused by Shropshire Council, but because it was submitted during the pre-election period it was held as pending.

"Our petitions page on our website explains this and the person lodging the petition is also informed of the reasons why."

A West Mercia Police spokesperson said on the incident: "Officers were called to the A41 between Tern Hill and Bletchley at around 10.10pm (Wednesday April 16), following a report of a vehicle fire. The road was closed for a short time while the road was made safe. The fire is currently being treated as arson and enquiries are on-going."

North Shropshire MP, Helen Morgan added: "These trailers should have been moved months ago.

"Residents and I have been complaining about the situation since last year but the waste-filled eyesore trailers were left in place, even after investigations had concluded.

"Local people deserve a full explanation as to why their repeated complaints were ignored and the trailers were not moved much earlier."

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency stated: "We attended the site to check that there were no environmental impacts from this fire, have provided advice and guidance to the fire Service and are now advising the landowner on the removal of the vehicle.

"We urge members of the public to report environmental incidents via our 24/7 hotline on 0800 807060."