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Water supplies hit as crews tackle Aberdeen recycling plant fire

BBC Suez recycling plant in AberdeenBBC
The fire at the Suez recycling plant in Aberdeen started on Friday and was still burning 24 hours later

Firefighters were still at the scene of a fire at an Aberdeen recycling facility almost 24 hours after the centre went up in flames.

Emergency services were called to the Suez recycling centre in Altens industrial estate at 16:37 on Friday.

The blaze was extinguished by 22:00 but took hold again after midnight, burning throughout Saturday.

Water supplies in the Cove Bay area were affected by efforts to bring the fire under control.

Scottish Water said it was aware of reports in the AB12 postcode of the city.

A spokesman for the company said: "As the hydrants are in use, this is causing no water, low pressure & discoloured water to the surrounding streets."

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said height appliances, water carriers and high-volume pumps were involved in dealing with the fire.

By mid-morning on Saturday up to 27 appliances continued to work at the scene.

Appliances were dispatched from Aboyne, Alford, Banchory, Dundee, Montrose and Peterhead to support the Aberdeen teams working on the incident.

Altens recycling centre
The building was still burning on Saturday morning

The fire service confirmed there were no casualties but warned people about smoke in the area.

It said: "SFRS crews continue to manage a significant fire at a recycling centre in Altens industrial estate, Aberdeen.

"If visiting the estate, please be aware of wide-spread smoke."

The facility is operated by Suez Recycling and Recovery.

John Wilkinson, the company's regional director, said: "At 16:37 on Friday 8 July a fire started at our recycling facility in Altens, Aberdeen. The cause of the fire is as yet unknown, however, thankfully, no one was injured.

"We would like to thank the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service for their efforts to manage the fire throughout the night and we apologise for the disruption to our neighbours and the local community."