Quick thinking bin men and fire crews prevented a serious fire after wrongly disposed of batteries caught alight in the back of a waste truck.

Biffa workers were collecting rubbish in Meadow Brown View, Iwade, when a lithium battery that had been put in a recycling bin ignited.

Two fire engines were sent to the scene last Friday where it was found the discarded battery overheated and caught fire. The spark also caused a small amount of paper to catch fire inside the vehicle.

A fire service spokesman said: “Following the incident, firefighters are reminding people to recycle batteries at specialist recycling centres and not with general household rubbish.”

Swale Borough Council has now also emphasised the importance of disposing of batteries properly following the incident.

A statement issued by the authority said: “This is why you shouldn’t put batteries in your waste or recycling bins.

“They need disposing of correctly as they can ignite, which is exactly what happened on this recycling round.

“Luckily the crew acted quickly and calmly and Kent Fire and Rescue were on site within minutes to dampen down the load.

“We want to thank both the Biffa crew and the Kent Fire and Rescue Service crew for their speedy response which meant that no one was harmed and there were no issues caused to the refuse collection vehicle.

“Please make sure you are disposing of things like batteries and used disposable BBQs correctly.

“Make sure you aren’t putting a hot BBQ in the bin. As the weather heats up the risks are even higher.”

A Biffa spokesman added: “We would like to thank Kent Fire and Rescue who were on the scene within minutes to put the fire out.

“Their swift response, along with that of our Biffa crew, meant no-one was harmed and our refuse collection vehicle was not badly damaged.

“This incident highlights the dangers of the improper disposal of batteries which can cause fires within refuse trucks and waste facilities, putting our workers and the public at risk.

“Batteries must not be placed in kerbside collection bins, and must be disposed of separately.

“Check with your local council whether batteries can be left out in a plastic bag on top of your bin on collection day.

“Batteries can also be disposed of by taking them to a local supermarket which offers a recycling point for small batteries. For businesses, Biffa provides a battery disposal service.”

If you are unsure on how to dispose of something use the council’s waste wizard to check by clicking here: