Cause of blaze at Veolia’s Tottenham depot unconfirmed

A series of explosions were reported from the Park View depot at 12.30am this morning (10 August) igniting the blaze.

Tottenham was the first area in London to be affected by the riots, but Veolia said the cause of the fire has not yet been determined, or whether it is connected to the riots.

Four fire engines were called to the scene, which was brought under control early this morning.

A Veolia spokesperson said: “At approximately 12.30am on Wednesday 10th August there was an incident at the depot in Haringey. Police and the Fire Brigade attended the scene and there were no reported injuries.We can assure residents that services have not been disrupted.”

Witnesses told the Telegraph that flames could be seen rising up 200 feet into the air.

Veolia’s chief operating officer, Tom Spaul, said: “Our team in London have been working in partnership with our various local authority clients in the capital to ensure a swift clean-up following rioting and anti-social behaviour in numerous parts of Greater London.

“This has involved working long hours and mobilising additional resources where necessary. I salute all of our staff who have worked and continue to work so efficiently.”

Waste collection firms Biffa, SITA and Viridor have also reported no service disruption following the riots.

A Biffa spokesperson told edie there had been no disruption to its services as a result of the riots, although “staff had been given a training refresher reminder of hazardous waste and health risks”, in light of the recent events.

“Expertise has also been made available to staff with concerns”, he added.

Carys Matthews