Walsall waste depot to open after huge blaze
Walsall’s main bin depot which was nearly destroyed in a blaze will be back up and running on Monday – ending weeks of disruption to bin collections.
The heavy snow in recent days has only added to the delays suffered by residents in the borough since an accidental fire broke out at Fryers Road Household Waste Recyling Centre in Bloxwich.
Walsall Council confirmed roofing contractors are on site and would work through the weekend to ensure the facility is operational on time.
It will coincide with the annual December switch to weekly household waste collections on the same day which will help tackle any backlog.
With work still ongoing the council is still counting the cost of the repairs as well as the additional fees racked up by having to waste to Veolia’s site in Four Ashes in the meantime.
More than 70 firefighters were required to tackle the blaze which broke out on Sunday, November 5.
The incident carried on over until the following morning.
Councillor Chris Jones, the authorities waste chief, revealed it was initially feared the site would have to be demolished due to the extent of the damage.
A council spokesman said: “Weather permitting we hope to re-open it on Monday.
“Roofing contractors are on site and will work across the weekend.
“The timing is perfect as it coincides with the move to weekly collections over the Christmas period.
“The costings are still being worked on. There is the cost incurred of taking the waste elsewhere and also the cost of the repairs, but obviously with workers still on site we won’t know what it will be until next week.”
While the the cause of the fire has been confirmed as accidental fire chiefs were unable to determine how exactly the flames ignited and what could be done to prevent it happening again.
Walsall Council’s waste chief Chris Jones, said: “CCTV footage was examined by the Leading Fire Officer of the incident who was unable to determine any malicious cause for the fire.”
“There are numerous possible causes and it would not be helpful to speculate.”
