Warning issued over Christmas lights amid fire safety fears
What you should do with your unwanted Christmas lights
- UK households are being urged to recycle broken or unwanted Christmas lights and 'fast-tech' due to a surge in fires caused by lithium-ion batteries in waste systems.
- Lithium-ion batteries, commonly found in festive electrical goods, can ignite dangerous fires when crushed in bin lorries or at waste sites if disposed of in everyday rubbish.
- Firefighters and waste management workers are increasingly at risk, with incidents tying up emergency resources and posing significant dangers to crews.
- A survey of local authorities revealed an average of over three battery-related fires per area from 2023-2024, with 94% of responding areas reporting an increase.
- Recycling campaigns advise using designated electrical recycling points and removing batteries from items before disposal to prevent these avoidable and hazardous incidents.