Rockcliffe fire crews remain on scene for almost a month

Work has continued to retrieve the waste from within the structure of the building, extinguish it and safely dispose of it, and as a result has generated additional smoke in the short term.

Residents are advised to keep all windows and doors closed whilst this work is carried out as a precautionary measure.

Colin Cox, Cumbria County Council’s Director of Public Health said: "An assessment carried out early into the incident identified the risk to health from any air pollution as very low. However due to the ongoing smoke in the area, air quality levels will be affected. The advice from Public Health remains the same, residents in the surrounding area who are affected by the smoke should keep any windows and doors closed. Any residents with any concerns about their individual health should contact their GP Practice or NHS 111.”

John Bunn, Cumbria Waste Team Leader at Environment Agency said: “We have supported the combined decision between the Fire and Rescue Service, Local Authority and the Environment Agency to allow the material to continue to burn rather than extinguishing it in the immediate phase with water which, due to the circumstances of the incident would have been ineffective and would create a greater risk of environmental hazard due to the water run-off.

“The current tactic agreed to retrieve the waste from the building, extinguish and safely dispose of it is the best course of action to safely extinguish the fire.”

John Beard, Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service’s Chief Fire Officer said: “We would like to thank the public for their patience and understanding while we bring this incident safely to a close. We understand the additional smoke in the surrounding area is not pleasant, however the multi-agency team are doing their upmost to safely extinguish the fire while minimising the impact on the local community.”

This incident will be constantly kept under review and monitored to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the community.