ENVIRONMENTAL chiefs are urging residents to check their waste after an "explosion" at Cheshire East Council's waste transfer site.

A gas canister collected from around the borough in the residual waste stream exploded, causing a loud bang to be heard near to the site in Middlewich last Saturday (October 30).

The council reports that no-one was injured and the incident was dealt with quickly before emergency services arrived, but it has issued a warning about the placing of gas canisters in household waste or recycling bins.

Cllr Mick Warren, chair of Cheshire East Council's environment and communities committee, said: "The council and our environmental services company, Ansa, takes the safety of its workforce and residents very seriously and I urge households to follow information on the council's website if they are unsure about what waste goes where.

"Gas canisters of any size should never be placed in household waste or recycling bins."

Of the incident, Cllr Warren added: "A full investigation is continuing but it is now known that the bang was caused by a gas canister that had been in the residual waste stream and then entered the waste sorting process.

Ansa, the council's waste company, regularly deliver workshops to promote the '3 R's' of waste – reduce, reuse and recycle.

This includes information about what waste can and cannot be placed inside wheelie bins and the types of waste that can be extremely hazardous if binned, such as batteries or aerosols containing hazardous liquids or gases.