Residents' terror over huge fire at battery plant

Residents have told of their terror after a large fire broke out at a battery recycling plant in North Ayrshire exactly a year after another blaze at the site.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) sent six fire appliances to tackle the blaze at the Fenix plant on Byrehill Place in Kilwinning at about 12:40.

Police said there had been no reported casualties but several houses in the area were evacuated as a precaution. The blaze, which locals said caused a series of explosions, was later brought under control, with crews now dampening down the scene.

It comes exactly a year after the SFRS battled another fire at the site which raged for two days.

Local resident Anne Marie Malcolm was about to walk her two dogs when she saw "explosions".

She told BBC Scotland News: "I just saw sparks and things flying up. It was so scary."

Ms Malcolm said the surrounding area was strewn with debris.

She added: "It is like a movie scene with all the batteries, with cables coming out."

Susannah Russell had stopped off at a McDonald's en route to Ayr with her children.

She said: "As we left the restaurant, a series of explosions began along with a dense cloud of smoke.

"My eight-year-old was terrified the war had come to Scotland as each one sounded like gunshots."

Ms Russell added her 11-year-old was "completely terrified" and they ended up travelling to Largs instead to get further away from the scene.

Police Scotland later said a cordon remained in place and there were still some road closures in the area.

The force confirmed evacuated residents were able to return to their homes but it urged locals to keep windows and doors shut.

Officers also said people should not pick up any batteries or debris.

The Scottish Ambulance Service confirmed its special operations team were sent to the scene after the blaze broke out.

North Ayrshire Council set up a hub in the local Cranberry Moss Community Centre for affected residents.

A spokesperson said: "We would ask residents to continue to follow the advice they receive from the lead agencies and we remain ready to continue to offer any support we can."

Environment agency Sepa said its officers had attended the site "to take samples from nearby watercourses, and will continue to monitor the situation closely".

A spokesperson added: "We appreciate that this matter will concern local residents and businesses, and we would urge everyone to follow the advice issued by public partners."

Last September, Sepa revoked Fenix Battery Recycling's waste management licence as part of an "enhanced package of enforcement action".

The firm was required to remove any waste that breached the licence to another facility.

The enforcement action meant it has to meet guidelines by June, including removing fire debris, repairing damaged infrastructure and implementing a fire prevention and mitigation plan.

Local councillor Scott Davidson said he was "disappointed" that the remains of the factory were "well alight again".

Fellow councillor Todd Ferguson posted on social media: "I've repeatedly raised concerns in relation to the risks of battery recycling and storage.

"Last year a site in Kilwinning went up. Today the same site has had multiple explosions and is a raging inferno."