A fire broke out in a district council refuse vehicle in Whitwick yesterday (Wednesday) - and it is thought to have been caused by batteries inside a children's toy.

North West Leicestershire District Council report that no-one was hurt and the vehicle was not damaged, but add tthis is the second battery fire since August.

The fire was discovered in the Thomas Road area but a council spokesman made it clear that the battery could have been picked up anywhere on the round before a fire was noticed.

It has prompted a warning not to put batteries in with your black bin rubbish - and to recycle them instead.

A social media post from the council says: "You can put them in a recyclable container with a lid, such as a butter tub or jam jar and put it out next to your red boxes.

"We keep the batteries in a special compartment on the recycling lorry so we can transport and store them safely at our recycling depot. 

"On recycling collection days, both used batteries and mobile phones should be placed in separate recyclable containers and left next to the red recycling boxes.

"Using old jam jars or margarine tubs with a lid on to dispose of batteries is particularly useful as these can be recycled afterwards.

"Types of batteries that can be recycled include:

• All AAA and AA cells
• Sizes C and D
• Button batteries e.g. watch and hearing aid batteries
• Laptop batteries
• Power tool batteries
• Mobile phone batteries (if removable)

"Once collected by crew members, the batteries are stored in a safe compartment until they reach the recycling depot.

"They are then collected by a specialist battery recycling company where they are sorted by chemistry type and shredded. Metals uncovered during the process can be used to make new batteries and in industries like the steel industry.

":In addition to fire hazards which can be caused by putting old batteries in black bins, the resources and chemicals found in them such as lead, cadmium, zinc, lithium and mercury can cause harm to the environment when they get to the landfill site."