Rush hour traffic on one of Brighton’s busiest roads was stopped this morning after a refuse truck had to shed its load because of a trash fire.
Tonnes of smouldering rubbish was dumped on the A23 at about 8.10am after smoke was seen coming out of the rear of the commercial truck.
The emergency services closed the road while fire crews made the scene safe. Brighton and Hove City Council crews also came to the scene to help clear it up.
One resident said: “The dustman noticed the smoke and emptied the load quickly. The cart parked in Mandalay car park and emergency services arrived.
“The police were very prompt, cutting off the road. Then fire trucks arrived to put out what was on fire. It was more smouldering than a big fire.
“It smells awful – I wouldn’t want to be cleaning that up.”
A spokeswoman for East Sussex Fire and Rescue said: “We were called at 8.31am on 10 November to reports of a vehicle fire in London Road, Brighton.
“The contents of a refuse collection vehicle (bin lorry) had caught alight. The load was emptied onto the road and crews used one hosereel jet to extinguish the fire.
“There were no casualties and the fire was deemed to be accidental.
“The road was closed while emergency services dealt with the incident, and police were also in attendance to assist with traffic management.
“Crews left the scene by 8.57am.”
