BUSINESSES neighbouring the ongoing blaze at Averies Recycling are pleased that the end of the fire is slowly coming into sight.

Over the last fortnight, firefighters have been able to step up their efforts putting out the rubbish fire at the Marshgate site, which started on July 21, after thousands of tonnes of waste was transferred to an alternative location.

Smoke is still smouldering from the site but it is no longer as strong or thick as it has previously been, with the authorities hoping that the blaze could be out in the forthcoming weeks.

Kathy Davies, owner of Treads Tyres, based next to Averies, said: “In the seven weeks that the fire has been going we have had to close for 10 days which has meant we’ve lost a bit of money through the fire. This wasn’t ideal but we had to close for safety reasons.

“The firefighters have been working really hard at the site and fingers-crossed I think we are getting there now and everything is going back to normal for us.”

Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service has been working with Averies, Swindon Council, the Environment Agency, NHS England and Wiltshire Police to deal with the incident.

Despite the progress that firefighters are making, they’re still unsure of exactly when the blaze will be out.

John Popowicz, Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service’s area manager, said: “Significant progress is being made in tackling the Marshgate fire following the removal of several thousand tonnes of waste from the site, which has created essential space, enabling our crews to intensify their work. The huge stack of burning material remaining on site is now being broken down so the waste can be spread and fully extinguished.

“Due to the scale of the blaze, this is an unavoidably time-consuming and laborious process. We appreciate the fire has been burning for many weeks and that local residents and businesses really want to see an end now.

“Unfortunately it is not possible to put a precise timescale on when the fire will be fully extinguished, as the length of time it takes crews to put out different parts of the stack inevitably varies. An operation of this nature is going to take several weeks and all efforts and resources are being deployed to bring it to a close as soon as possible so normality can resume.”

The authorities have praised businesses and residents for their support while Averies has apologised repeatedly for the issues that the fire has caused.