RESIDENTS have been urged to dispose of used batteries properly after one caused a refuse lorry to catch fire for the second time in less than a year.

A lorry caught fire in the town centre in early December after a battery was discarded incorrectly in a blue bin.

But quick-thinking bin men were able to drive the wagon to Warrington Borough Council’s School Brow depot, where they managed to empty the lorry of its smouldering contents and extinguish the blaze without the need to call Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service.

It follows a similar incident on Cherry Tree Avenue in Lymm in April last year, when a camping lamp battery sparked following contact with the floor of a bin lorry.

The fire occurred early on in the bin crew’s round, so the refuse wagon was luckily not filled with flammable materials.

More serious fires could have caused Warrington Borough Council more than £100,000 of damage, and residents have been urged to dispose of used batteries correctly.

All of the town’s recycling centre accept batteries, while some libraries and shops that sell batteries also have collection batteries.

Warrington Borough Council is also warning residents to take precautions against arson attacks on their wheelie bins after a series of fires in the area.

Advice issued includes storing bins out of sight and behind locked gates where possible, only putting them out on collection day, not overfilling bins and not placing hot items in them.

Bins should not be stored near to windows or doors as any fire could easily spread to a property.