Linwood Industrial Estate Fire

Please find below a transcript of urgent questions MSP Neil Bibby raised in the Scottish Parliament following the fire at Linwood Industrial Estate, which may interest local residents.

Neil Bibby (West Scotland) (Lab)

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported public safety and environmental concerns arising from the fire at Linwood industrial estate on 23 June. (S6T-02058)

The Minister for Victims and Community Safety (Siobhian Brown) Share

I thank the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service crews, along with all our emergency services, for their sterling efforts in tackling the large and complex fire that broke out at the Enva recycling facility on Sunday. At its height, 10 appliances and 50 firefighters were at the scene. Thankfully, there were no casualties and, as of this morning, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has confirmed that one fire appliance and one height appliance remain in attendance, with firefighters working to eliminate any remaining hot spots and dampen down.

As a precaution, early yesterday morning local residents were advised to remain indoors with windows and doors shut. That advice was lifted later yesterday morning. As part of a multi-agency response, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency is actively engaged in the situation and is working closely with public sector partners, including Public Health Scotland and Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board, to mitigate any potential impact on the surrounding community and environment.

I am pleased to say that there is no on-going risk to public safety and that the cause of the fire will be the subject of an immediate and thorough investigation, as would normally happen.

Neil Bibby Share

I thank the minister for that answer, and I join her in extending my thanks to the 55 firefighters who attended for their bravery and professionalism in tackling the fire, and to the police, SEPA and council officials who have also responded. The scale of the fire at the waste recycling plant was significant—it could be seen for many miles across Renfrewshire, Glasgow and beyond.

There has also been significant concern about the fire’s environmental impact. As the minister mentioned, local residents were urged to close windows and doors to avoid toxic smoke. Debris and ash have been reported landing on people’s properties many miles away. What advice has been or will be given on what people should do if they have battery debris or any other debris from the fire, for example, in their gardens or on their cars?

Siobhian Brown Share

SEPA has confirmed that there were no compliance issues around the site that it was aware of. The site was deemed to be low risk, with no impact on amenity, and it is well managed. It deals only with waste electrical and electronic equipment.

Any constituents in the area who have any residue from the fire in their gardens should contact the local authority. I know that SEPA has a working group, and it will be liaising with the local authority and the SFRS.

Neil BibbyShare

I hope that the authorities will make that advice publicly available rather than just asking constituents to seek it. That would be helpful.

The recycling of electric batteries is only going to become more prevalent, and given that there was another fire at the industrial estate in 2022, will the minister work with the industry to ask the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and SEPA to publish a full report not just on what happened, but on what the risks were, what they could be in the future and what mitigations can be put in place in order to maintain public confidence in the future?

Siobhian BrownShare

I think that we will have to wait for the thorough investigation to be concluded before we make any commitments in that regard. For the member’s information, he might like to know that, along with other United Kingdom nations, the Scottish Government is reviewing the UK-wide batteries regulation, which applies to placing batteries on the market and to waste battery issues, including recycling.

We are considering the changes that are needed to provide an appropriate framework for the increasing number of electric vehicle batteries that are arising as waste and how they can best be managed in the UK market. That will include looking at opportunities for better regulation.