Fife Council Leader, Cllr David Ross has welcomed the progress made by Scottish Fire & Rescue Service (SFRS) in bringing the deep-seated household waste fire under control.

“This has obviously been a very serious fire,” said Cllr Ross. “I’m pleased that SFRS is reporting significant progress and hope the incident will be closed soon.

“It’s been reassuring to see confirmation from NHS Fife and SEPA that the risk to public health is low, however I understand the impact that smoke and smells have had on local communities since last week as the wind has blown the plume in various directions. I have every sympathy with residents affected by this and by the traffic disruption.

“Around the country fires at waste sites have become more common. There will be a full investigation into the cause of this fire, and I look forward to understanding if there is anything more we can do to mitigate risks.

“In the meantime I want to thank all the fire crews and staff who have been working round the clock to deal with this incident.”