Major fire at recycling centre for second time in two months

Firefighters are tackling a large blaze at a recycling centre in Fife which was the scene of another fire in May.

Nearby residents reported seeing smoke billowing over a landfill area of the Lower Melville Woods Waste Facility near Ladybank just after 13:00.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said 34 firefighters in six appliances and one high-reach vehicle were sent to the scene.

A spokesperson said: "Due to smoke in the area, nearby residents are asked to keep their windows and doors closed as a precaution. There are no reported casualties, and crews remain in attendance."

The fire broke out among 150 to 200 tonnes of shredded bulk waste, though it was contained in a concrete pen.

Police Scotland said surrounding roads remain open but the public are being advised to avoid the area.

Fife Council have said they expect the facility to reopen on Thursday.

David Goodenough, service manage for the site operator Cireco, said: "At this stage, the fire is contained within a designated waste storage area and there is no indication that it has spread beyond that location.

"We would ask members of the public to avoid the site while emergency services deal with the incident."

The latest blaze follows a previous fire at the site which broke out on 12 May and, at its height, spread over approximately 200m x 300m (656ft x 984ft) of landfill waste.

The fire service eventually handed the site back to Fife Council on 27 May, more than two weeks after the blaze started.

During the previous incident, the SFRS asked locals to keep their windows and doors closed as they battled to get the fire under control.

Air monitoring data showed spikes in pollution on several occasions in the days following May's outbreak.