Greater Cambridge Shared Waste Service, a partnership between South Cambridgeshire District Council and Cambridge City Council, is supporting the national Take Charge campaign to prevent fires from discarded batteries.

The campaign urges people to recycle batteries responsibly using specialist battery and electrical device recycling services, which will help reduce the growing number of fires started by 'zombie batteries'.

Dead batteries thrown away with other waste and recycling are likely to be crushed or punctured once the rubbish is collected and processed.

The risk of this causing a serious fire is increased with higher-powered lithium-ion batteries, which are common across a wide range of household devices - including laptops, tablets, mobile phones, electric toothbrushes, power tools and even e-cigarettes.

Cllr Henry Batchelor, lead cabinet member for environment services at South Cambridgeshire District Council, said: "It’s easy to recycle dead batteries in South Cambridgeshire or Cambridge by simply popping them in a small plastic bag, tying it closed and placing it on top of your wheelie bin lid for our recycling or waste crews to collect.

"You can leave batteries on top of black, green or blue bins. Check the 'What Goes In Which Bin' directory on our council websites for details."