Rubbish fire hotspot shutdown in Magor

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Friday, 9 October 2020 18:51

A rubbish fire hotspot in Magor has been shut down following a series of deliberate fires at the site.

Firefighters from Maindee and Caldicot have been working closely with the Service’s Fire Crime Team, Gwent Police’s Rural Policing Team and Natural Resources Wales (NRW) to clear the site at Barecroft Common.

A multi-agency site visit took place with the landowner and following consultation the burning of waste materials has ceased and the site has now been cleared.

Local Fire Station Commander Gareth Evans, said “The effective partnership working demonstrated here alongside our partners has reduced the risk to the local community and the environment. The before and after images of the site clearly illustrate the positive outcome achieved. Deliberately setting waste alight is extremely dangerous and there is a cost to us all, a drain on emergency services resources, environmental damage, loss of wildlife and risk to property and life. I would like to remind residents that they do have a legal obligation to take all reasonable measures to ensure that their waste is disposed of properly. We recommend to always using registered waste carrier and to check for a permit, license or exemption.”

Last year, there were nearly 4000 rubbish fires across Wales, with the main causes being household bin bags, fly tipped furniture and litter which are consequently being deliberately set alight.