Report suspicious fires this Bonfire Night

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Report suspicious fires this Bonfire Night

The Environment Agency is asking for local communities to report suspicious bonfires over the coming weekend.

Many illegal waste operators see Bonfire night as an excuse to illegally burn their waste. The Environment Agency and local authorities receive high numbers of complaints from concerned members of the public about the illegal burning of waste from across the North West.

During last November we received 116 calls reporting fires burning across the North West.

There are many risk associated with illegal bonfires. Burning waste can release harmful gasses, grit and dust which can cause pollution. Smoke from fires can also be a nuisance to neighbours and cause harm to human health. Dark smoke produced when tyres, plastics, rubbers, oils and paints are burnt can be particularly hazardous.

This call is part of a wider push by the Environment Agency to crack down on illegal waste activities. Not only do illegal waste site have the potential to cause harm to the environment, and human health they are putting other legitimate business at risk.

Gordon Whitaker at the Environment Agency says: “ If you suspect a waste site near you is illegally burning waste this bonfire night, call our 24hour incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60. Any information you can provide will help us to gather a picture of illegal waste activities across the region. Those caught illegally burning waste can be prosecuted and fined up to £20,000. We want to make the North West a better place to live. We aim to find and stop illegal waste site from operating in your community, but we need your help. “