WORCESTERSHIRE Regulatory Services has said there is “no danger to public health” following a major fire at Lawrence Recycling in Kidderminster.

Concerns have been raised by residents after thick black smoke has been billowing out of the site in Stourport Road since Sunday.

Crews are still on site and one fire engine and one high volume pumping unit are working to extinguish the large quantity of burning material.

Wyre Forest District Council said in a statement released today that the fire is within large piles of commercial and household waste including paper, cardboard and plastic.

Group commander Grant Wills, of Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service, said: “It is expected that the fire will continue to burn for some time due to the building being structurally unsafe so the large quantities of household waste are unable to be removed at this time.

“Our efforts are focused on limiting the impact to the local community as much as possible.”

Smoke is still being generated by the fire and Public Health England has advised that if anyone is affected by this, they should stay indoors and keep doors and windows closed.

Worecestershire Regulatory Services (WRS) has taken over air quality monitoring from the Environment Agency and is working on behalf of the district council.

It said there is no danger to public health from the remains of the fire at this time.

Levels of smoke on Tuesday were recorded as less than 20 per cent of Monday's levels and the authorities expect this to decrease further.

Mark Kay, business manager at WRS, said: “The Environment Agency carry out air quality monitoring for the first 48 hours.

“A number of samples were taken of the plume. At the end of the 48 hours, we held a meeting and the responsibility was handed over to the local authorities.

“Worcestershire Regulatory Services is acting on behalf of the local authority.

“Public Health England reviewed the samples that had been taken. All of it was at background levels. There was not risk to human health.”

The Environment Agency has also been on site since Sunday and has been working to contain fire water that has been running into the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal and River Severn.

Low oxygen levels were recorded in the canal which may have killed hundreds of fish.

Dave Throup, environment manager from the Environment Agency, said: “We have been working closely with all partner agencies to review the options for managing the fire and its possible impacts.

“As well as our work at the site of the fire, we have worked closely with the Canal and River Trust to increase the levels of oxygen in the canal, which has helped protect thousands of fish.

“We have also moved around 300 fish to healthier water in the canal upstream in the centre of Kidderminster.”

Severn Trent Water has also been checking drinking water supplies and confirmed they had not been affected.

James Jesic, production manager at Severn Trent Water, said: “We constantly monitor the quality of our customers’ water.

“Our checks show that drinking water supplies have not been affected and our customers’ water is safe to drink.

“If this situation changes we have a robust plan in place and will contact our customers.”

The district council, WRS, The Canal and River Trust and West Mercia Police have all been working with the main responding agencies to manage the situation.

The cause of the fire is still unknown and an investigation is ongoing.

The Environment Agency is planning to work with Lawrence Recycling to inspect and audit their processes from a regulatory perspective and what actions they need to take to improve waste storage and fire prevention measures.

Anyone concerned about the fire’s impact on their health should call NHS Direct on 0845 4647.