Concern after fire at Sackers Recycling, Great Blakenham

More than 70 firefighters were called to the blaze at Sackers Recycling Centre in Great Blakenham, near Ipswich, on Thursday.

Smoke could be seen as far away as Felixstowe and Bury St Edmunds, with Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service appliances still on the scene on Friday afternoon. 

Huge flames could be seen from the fire (Image: SFRS)

More than 70 firefighters were called to tackle the fire on Thursday (Image: SFRS)

It has left neighbouring homeowners with several concerns, following huge fires at the centre in January and February 2023, as well as another in September 2017.

Stephen Meadows, who lives near close by, said: "I have lived on the estate in Brick Drive for nine, nearly 10, years and never had any problems. 

"For the first sort of six years there were no problems, now we have got three fires in less than two years. I speak for most of the residents that we are getting a little bit concerned." 

After the fire in February 2023, a meeting was held between some residents and officials at Sackers. 

A cloud of thick, black smoke was sent into the sky (Image: OBD Photography)

Documents from the meeting, seen by this newspaper, detail actions which had been taken by the company and further action which was needed. 

Action taken includes lowering the temperature of thermal imaging cameras, while further action states adding more fire suppression systems. 

However, according to Mr Meadows, who was involved in the meeting, residents "never heard anything back." 

READ MORE: Two roads closed after fire starts at recycling centre

Chris Chambers, Suffolk County Councillor for Gipping Valley (Image: Suffolk County Council)

"We never heard anything back from them to confirm if they had or hadn't in fact implemented anything they had proposed," added Mr Meadows.

"I'm not trying to shut down a business. I am just expecting a business to adapt responsibly to the change in times and circumstances."

A cause of the fire is yet to be established, although an investigation is ongoing.

The fire caused huge disruption on Thursday (Image: SFRS)

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service said "small pockets of fire" remained on Friday.

Chris Chambers, who represents the Gipping Valley ward at Suffolk County Council, added: "My initial thought is this is not the first time this has happened.

"I think residents are feeling a bit like questioning why this keeps on happening.

"Some residents are unsure about what measures are in place at Sackers and I want to reassure them."

Another blaze broke out at the centre in 2023 (Image: SFRS)

Roads around the incident were closed while emergency services battled the flames, while rail services also faced significant disruption due to the proximity of the centre to the tracks. 

A spokesman for Sackers said on social media on Friday: "We can confirm that a fire has occurred at our waste recycling site at Sackers, Great Blakenham, and has now been extinguished.

"Our primary concern remains the safety of our employees, the local community, and all those involved in the incident. Fortunately, there have been no injuries.

"We are working closely with the fire department and other relevant authorities to address the incident. At this stage, the cause of the fire is not known, and an investigation will be conducted in due course.

"We appreciate the swift and professional response from the emergency services and kindly ask for your patience and understanding during this time."

During the fire in 2017, more than 60 firefighters were called to the blaze which started in a 100-tonne pile of scrap metal.

Around 300 tonnes of scrap metal were engulfed in January 2023.