Politicians expressed concern this week following a fire at Perth recycling facilities that closed the A90 Friarton Bridge in both directions.
The fire broke out at the Enva premises around 3am Tuesday beneath the bridge which carries the major north-south trunk road over the Tay.
Questions were also asked about the proximity of the recycling centre to the bridge – which deals with waste electrical and electronic equipment.
The Friarton Bridge was closed for almost 10 hours and Perth city roads were heavily congested as a result of diversions.
It is the fourth fire at the site in recent years.
In February 2023 Perth worker Slawomir Szmeichel (46) died in a fatal blast at Shore Recycling and a 41-year-old co-worker was injured. Shore Recycling was bought by Enva in August that year.
Firefighters worked through the night to extinguish the latest blaze at the depot. It was believed it had been caused by waste electrical material. There were no injuries.
First Minister and Perthshire North MSP John Swinney said on Tuesday: “I am deeply concerned about the occurrence of another fire at the recycling site beneath the Friarton Bridge.
“Stringent controls must be in place for site operations to prioritise the safety of staff and the general public, and to prevent disruptions like those experienced by the public this morning as a result of this incident.”
SNP colleague Pete Wishart, MP for Perth and Kinross-shire, said: “This is the fourth fire at the Shore Road recycling centre in as many years.
“We simply cannot allow this to keep happening. Not only is it putting people at risk, but the closure of Friarton Bridge causes traffic chaos in Perth.
“Following the previous incident, in which a man tragically lost his life, I called for a full investigation into the site and information on what authorities are doing to implement additional safety measures.
“The need for this has only grown following the latest incident, and it is entirely reasonable at this stage for people to be questioning whether the site needs to be moved.”
Perthshire Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser said: “It is surely time for a review of safety at the recycling centre as there is clearly an issue with the fire risk there.
“We also have to ask how appropriate it is to have a centre like this located so close to a major trunk road, given the impact on journeys.”
An Enva spokesperson said this week: “The incident occurred in the reception area for inbound electrical waste and was unrelated to the site’s processing infrastructure, which was not operational at the time.
“The site’s design and fire containment measures worked effectively, ensuring the fire did not spread to the main recycling facility or other buildings.
“The fire will be the subject of an immediate and thorough investigation, although early information indicates that the likely cause was a waste battery.
“Once control of the site is returned to Enva, we will continue to accept e-waste into the facility to support the final stages of commissioning phase ahead of our official opening in the next few weeks.”
The investigation into Slawomir Szmeichel’s death at Shore Recycling in February 2023 is ongoing.
Once complete any report submitted will be considered by the Crown’s Health and Safety Investigation Unit (HSIU).
HSIU leads the investigation of complex work-related deaths and the prosecution of all health and safety cases across Scotland.
A Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service spokesperson said this week: “The Procurator Fiscal has received a report in connection with the death of a 46-year-old man in Friarton, Perth on February 28, 2023.
“A joint investigation by Police Scotland and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is ongoing and once complete will be fully considered by the Procurator Fiscal. The family will continue to be kept updated.”