Smethwick fire explained

The owners of the Jayplas recycling plant in Smethwick, which a fortnight ago was almost completely destroyed by fire, has praised the emergency services for their work.

Ten thousand tonnes of recycled supermarket packaging went up in flames when a lit sky lantern floated onto the site, causing what West Midlands Fire service has described as the largest blaze they've ever tackled.

In a statement today the company said:

Jonathan Herrick, Fire Safety Manager, West Midlands Fire Service, has praised the work of the firefighters who tackled a large blaze at a recycling plant in Smethwick earlier this month.

A Chinese lantern landed on thousands of tonnes of rubbish causing £6 million worth of damage.

Firefighters are warning over the issues of fire safety for major waste and recycling plants, following a major fire in Smethwick earlier this month.

Jonathan Herrick, Fire Safety Manager, West Midlands Fire Service has been explaining to ITV News Central reporter, Chris Halpin, how the fire at Smethwick spread.

Read more on the Smethwick blaze

Firefighters are warning over the issues of fire safety for major waste and recycling plants, following a major fire in Smethwick earlier this month.

Vij Randeniya, President of the Chief Fire Officers Association said better planning could reduce the impact of a fire.

He said: "We've had 15 fires in waste transfer stations this year, they've had 200 in the country this year and it's an increasing problem, in fact in Kidderminster there's one still burning.

"We want to work with the industry in order that we can make sure that these products are stored as safely as possible, that they are unlikely to catch fire and if they do, they're very very small."

Vij Randeniya, President of the Chief Fire Officers Association said the fire earlier this month at the Jayplas plant in Smethwick occurred because recycling waste was collected in "one great massive lump."

Today firefighters are appealing for recycling plant waste to be stored safely so that a major fire does not occur again.

Damage from the recycling plant fire melted lamp posts and destroyed thousands of tonnes of rubbish causing £6 million of damage.

Two weeks on from the biggest fire the West Midlands has ever seen, firefighters are advising recycling plants on how to store rubbish to prevent a similar blaze.

A Chinese lantern landed on thousands of tonnes of rubbish at a centre in Smethwick causing £6 million worth of damage.

The Chief Fire Officer for the West Midlands has said:

"We asked for a sensible conversation about sky lanterns with sensible people, and we are really pleased that Poundland have stepped up to the plate.

This will make a direct contributon to public safety. We welcome it, and call on other responsible retailers to follow suit as soon as possible.

Our firefighters showed great skill and courage in controlling this enormous fire. We were at the scene for days. Poundland’s decision means their efforts were not in vain.”

The retailer Poundland has confirmed it will stop selling Chinese lanterns. The decision comes after it was revealed a Chinese lantern started a major fire at a recycling plant in Smethwick in Birmingham earlier this week.

The company has said it has also recalled all its stock of Chinese lanterns from its stores.