M54 fully open again after major fire at Telford recycling centre
All lanes of the M54 at Telford have been reopened after a huge blaze at a nearby recycling plant.
Shropshire Fire & Rescue Service announced on Thursday night that the whole carriageway is now open after a fire at Greenway Polymers on Monday meant some lanes had to be closed due to heavy smoke billowing from the blaze.
Speaking in a video on Twitter, Assistant Chief Fire Officer Dan Quinn, said: "Soon we will be opening up Waterloo Road and Rock Road.
"The scene is still very busy and we will continue to work through the night to resolve this fire.
"In addition, the structure is now structurally unsafe so we will be working with Telford & Wrekin Council, making sure we pull that down over the next three to five days.
"That will give us access to the burning material and enable us to bring this incident to a successful conclusion.
"Thank you again to everyone supporting us over the past few days and into next week. We are going to maintain a presence and work tirelessly to bring this to a successful conclusion."
The building will be dismantled by demolition experts in the coming days.
Earlier in the day Assistant Chief Fire Officer Dan Quinn said the building had been "been deemed as an unsafe structure due to heat and fire damage".
"Our plan over the coming days will be to work with partners to carry out a controlled dismantling of the structure to remove any risk posed to our staff who are continuing to extinguish the fire and any members of the public.”
The blaze could last up to 10 days, with a clean-up operation taking months to complete.
Burning rubbish has also led to residents being urged to keep windows and doors shut to prevent smoke and ash getting into home.
Public Health England advised: "Any smoke can irritate airways, skin and eyes and cause coughing, wheezing breathlessness and chest pain.
Chemicals in smoke can also worsen health problems like asthma and heart conditions so people should carry their medication if they are in areas affected by the smoke. Chemicals in the smoke can worsen existing health problems like asthma. People with asthma should carry their inhaler.
"People in areas affected by smoke should stay indoors and keep doors and windows shut, while motorists travelling through the smoke should keep windows closed, turn off air conditioning and keep air vents closed. If people need to be outdoors, they should limit time spent in areas affected by smoke and ash."
