Landfill fire continues into fifth day with firefighters still at scene

A fire at a landfill site in Fife has continued into a fifth day with three fire crews and specialist appliances still working to extinguish the flames.

The fire broke out at the Ladybank facility on Tuesday afternoon and anyone living nearby who smells or sees smoke is urged to keep their windows closed.

At its height 12 appliances and specialist resources were dealing with the fire.

There were no casualties, although a union has claimed staff had to climb a locked gate to escape. Site operator Cireco Scotland said the claim was "speculation" but has promised a full investigation.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has warned it could take until the start of next week to fully extinguish the fire as it is hard to get to material that is burning deep within the piled waste.

A spokesman said: "There is still firefighting ongoing."

Fife Council said the waste transfer and processing facility remains closed while emergency services deal with the incident.

The council said: "We understand this has been a worrying incident for residents and disruptive for people travelling through the area or trying to use Ladybank Recycling Centre.

"Smoke is still coming from the site as the fire is brought under control, residents should continue to keep windows and doors closed if they can see or smell smoke.

"Bin collections are currently going ahead as planned and people should continue to present bins and bulky uplift items as normal.

"The household waste recycling centre at the site is closed due to the fire and will remain so while firefighting activity continues.

"However, the Ladybank Recycling Centre area is unaffected and will reopen as soon as the fire is out and safe access can be reinstated."

The Unite union said some staff at the site were told the leave via a particular route, only to find the gate they had been directed to was locked with combination locks.

They then decided to scale the fence rather than go back into heavy smoke.

The chief executive of Cireco Scotland, Robin Baird, said he was confident that all staff were directed to safe escape routes.

He said the way in which evacuation procedures operated would be part of the investigation.