Bedlington residents warned of smoke and smells as eight-week fire is put out

The blaze broke out at Green Leaf Recycling’s composting site in Bedlington on August 31.

Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service attended the incident to bring the fire under control, before advising a controlled burn of the remaining waste wood on site.

But now it is deemed safe for the site operator to extinguish the fire for good.

While small amounts of smoke and bad odour had been produced by the controlled burn, extinguishing the fire could result in a temporary increase.

The process, supervised by Environment Agency officers, is expected to take a few days.

The agency said the material on the site is clean waste wood, which poses a low risk to health and the environment.

Residents are advised to keep windows and doors closed if they are affected by this, however.