Overview
- A large fire broke out at Waste Care Limited in Colthrop Business Park on Monday evening, prompting an overnight multi-station firefighting response and ongoing work on site today.
- Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue says crews tackled roughly 150 tonnes of assorted batteries, a scale that required water carriers, an aerial platform and mutual aid from neighbouring services.
- Network Rail established a 150-metre exclusion zone that suspended services between Reading, Newbury and Bedwyn and left only limited trains and rail replacement buses running.
- Authorities have urged nearby residents to stay indoors with windows closed because of strong fumes and loud bangs reported by witnesses, while no injuries or cause have yet been confirmed.
- The incident echoes other UK recycling-centre battery fires this year and highlights risks from lithium and mixed battery storage, including difficult extinguishing, re-ignition and local air-quality impacts.