Over the last year, there were 1,200 battery fires in bin lorries and waste sites across the UK, compared to 700 in 2022, according to the National Fire Chiefs Council and the Recycle Your Electricals campaign.

In a survey, 94% of local authorities said fires caused by batteries in the waste stream were an increasing challenge.

But nearly half of UK adults said they did not know that electrical items containing chargeable built-in batteries could catch fire if crushed or damaged.

The executive director of Recycle Your Electricals, Scott Butler, said: ‘With more and more products containing lithium-ion batteries, and battery fires on the rise, it’s vital that we stop these fires and reduce the air pollution impact that they have on our local communities and the dangers they present to fire fighters and waste officers.

‘We are also throwing away some of the most precious materials on the planet which are vital to our economy.’

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