Kiveton Park: Rotherham industrial waste fire still burns seven weeks on

A waste fire that started more than seven weeks ago at an industrial estate continues to burn.

Residents living near Kiveton Park in Rotherham have complained about constant smoke as firefighters try to tackle the challenging blaze.

Machines have been brought in to move smouldering compacted rubbish before the fire can be extinguished.

Shayne Tottie of South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said it would take "a number of weeks" to put the fire out fully.

"As we dig in, we find more hot waste. We're making good headway," the district commander for Rotherham added.

The fire started on 21 September with residents being asked to keep their doors and windows closed.

Heavy machinery has been brought in to move the rubbish to other parts of the site to allow firefighters to dampen it down, with a "significant amount of waste involved", Mr Tottie said.

"We really appreciate the community bearing with us," said Geoff Craig from the Environment Agency.

Air quality monitors were being used near the site to protect workers and residents living nearby.

However, work on the industrial site was slow going as access was proving difficult.

"Our priority at the moment is to put this fire out and stop the smoke impacting," Mr Craig said.

Teams were working seven days a week to tackle the fire and they were doing "everything we can, we are very limited on space", he said.

Water used in the firefighting effort was mostly running off into the local sewerage system, the Environment Agency added.

It said: "We are monitoring the environment and the water environment on a regular basis at the moment. We are seeing no impact on water environments."

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