Fire crews tackled yet another blaze at Blackburn’s infamous former plastics site.
Crews attended the V10 plastic polymer site at 10:54pm on September 3 with four fire engines on the scene.
Firefighters extinguished a fire involving a large pile of rubbish at a derelict building using three jets and two breathing apparatus.
The site has been plagued by fires for years and a current dispute between the council and the landowners means residents have been left frustrated that nothing is being done with the land.
This incident is the second fire this year and the former factory which has been targeted seven times in the last six years.
In 2021, work was carried out to make it more accessible for emergency services in case of future fires.
But since then, there has been four more, one in May 2022, one in February 2023, one in March 2024 and then last night.
Planning approval for the site, which is considered to be an eyesore for people in the area, was granted to turn the warehouse into a social housing development but nothing materialised.
In July 2023 the owner of the site was ordered to clear up the land or the council said they would charge him for doing it.
Late approval for a grant from the government to clear the site - a landfill tax relief - expired in March 2021 before it could be used, with the Environment Agency also unable to help.
These fires pose a real risk to the public as toxic chemicals such as dioxin pollute the surrounding areas.
A Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “At 10.54pm on September 3, four fire engines from Blackburn, Darwen and Hyndburn attended a commercial premises on Paterson Street, Blackburn.
“Firefighters extinguished a fire involving a large pile of rubbish at a derelict building using three jets and two breathing apparatus. Fire crews were on scene for approximately two hours and 20 minutes.”
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