Locals were told to close their windows during blazes at the site
The fire at Mid UK Recycling on the Copper Hill industrial estate in October(Image: RSM Photography)
Residents in a Lincolnshire village are worried about the number of major fires at a nearby recycling plant, a councillor has said.
Mid-UK Recycling at Barkston Heath near Grantham has suffered three significant fires in the last six months.
Villages as far away as Sudbrooke, Ancaster, and Barkson were advised to keep their windows and doors shut when a fire broke out in October 2025, with large plumes of smoke rising from the plant.
Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue also responded to a “large incident” at the site on April 1, with drone images showing substantial damage to one of the buildings on the Copper Hill Industrial Estate.
Another fire broke out just a week later, which required crews to spend two days there.
Lincolnshire County Council, which runs the fire and rescue service, says that it’s working with Mid-UK Recycling to make the site as safe as possible.
Fire crews working to put out the blaze in April(Image: RSM Photography)
Reform Councillor Raymond Whitaker, who represents the area, told the full council meeting on Friday (June 23) that residents were still worried.
“My constituents in the village of Wilmsford are very concerned about the frequency of fires and the high toxicity of smoke emulating from MidUK Recycling, situated at Barkston Heath,” he said.
“They were instructed to close windows and doors because of the toxic smoke that’s given off by burning waste.
“In the past six months, there have been three major fires at this plant.
“We need adequate safety systems to protect the health of local constituents.”
Councillor Alex McGonigle, the executive member for fire services, said: “It’s a shame we’ve had a significant number of incidents here over the last six months.
“Mid-UK has been very forthcoming with investigations, and have adhered to a lot of the recommendations we’ve put forward.
“We’ve carried out a multi-agency review with Trading Standards and the planning committee.
“They’ve got provisions in place to ensure residents are kept as safe as possible when there’s an incident. We are working with them to increase preventative measures on site.”
Mid-UK Recycling hasn’t responded to requests for comment.
The cause of the fires hasn’t been deemed accidental, meaning there isn’t enough evidence to determine why they started.
However discarded batteries are becoming a major case of blazes in bin lorries and waste plants.
People are advised get rid of loose batteries in designated drop-off points, which can often be found at supermarkets and tips.