New Fire Suppression System for Townmead Tip
Aims to stop repeat of major blaze that took place in 2021
The fire that hit the recycling centre in 2021. Picture: London Fire Brigade
November 19, 2024
The Townmead Road Reuse and Recycling Centre in Kew is to get an £800,000 safety upgrade following a major fire. A fire suppression system will be installed, as it is believed it remains at risk of another blaze.
It comes after around 100 tonnes of household waste caught alight inside a warehouse at the centre in 2021. Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters responded to the incident. The London Fire Brigade (LFB) said it believed the cause of the fire was accidental, but recorded it as undetermined after an investigation. Similar fires have been blamed on batteries incorrectly disposed of in general waste.
Richmond Council has now approved a budget of £800,000 to install a specialist fire suppression system at the centre, which prevents or controls the spread of fire by releasing a suppression agent like water, foam or chemicals. The site is the main recycling centre in the Richmond borough but is widely used by residents of Hounslow and Wandsworth.
A report by council officers said the ‘urgent’ fire prevention works will be funded by the authority’s waste reserve, which had a balance of £5.8million at the end of the 2023/24 financial year.
The site is not currently insured by a third party as it does not have a fire suppression system. The installation of the system will allow the council to meet the minimum insurance requirements outlined by Zurich.
The report said, “There is a significant ongoing risk of fire at the centre, which has culminated in a major fire in 2021. In order to manage this risk more effectively, and to comply with insurance requirements (as specified by Zurich), it is proposed to procure a new fire suppression system, which will include automatic electronic oscillating water monitors and water tank to protect the waste, and a roof-level sprinkler system to protect the building structure.”
The council’s Finance Committee unanimously approved the budget for the scheme on 14 November.
Charlotte Lilywhie - Local Democracy Reporter
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |