Residents placing potentially explosive items such as batteries into household rubbish and recycling is a growing problem, according to Joe Warren, station manager for community safety at Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service.
He said: “Fire and rescue services across the country are attending an increasing number of fires at waste sites.
“It’s really important that we all do our best to help prevent these fires, as they can be very dangerous.
“Dispose of materials and devices correctly. In particular, rechargeable devices such as vapes, mobile phones, tablets, laptops and e-scooters, all of which contain lithium-ion batteries, should be disposed of responsibly.
“These batteries can cause intense fires.
“Also, fire accelerants, such as petrol, must be disposed of properly via specialised hazardous waste sites, and never left unattended in a public place.”