Planning consent is being sought for a new fire prevention and suppression system at Plymouth’s largest recycling and waste facility.

Biffa Waste Services, which runs the Chelson Meadow facility on behalf of the city council, says the risk of fires at waste management centres has “greatly increased” because of lithium batteries in a multitude of products.

A new automated system called ‘Helios’ utilises infrared heat detection cameras that monitor stockpiles and identify heat spots before fires are noticeable to the human eye, planning documents say.

Recognising the early signs, the system can automatically deploy water cannons before a blaze can take hold.

It is designed to be used where sprinkler and spray water systems offer insufficient protection.

The system requires some external plant and machinery to be installed.

Biffa doesn’t anticipate that the proposal, which is in an industrial area, would have adverse noise impacts on neighbours – the closest property is 300 metres away.

Lithium batteries are able to hold a powerful charge and when damaged can cause intense fires that are capable of reigniting because the batteries can effectively create their own oxygen.

Biffa is rolling out a multi-million-pound investment programme of Helios fire suppression systems to minimise the risk at its waste management facilities.

In its application, Biffa says around six billion batteries were thrown away in the last year, over 3,000 a minute – including over 1.1 billion of electricals containing hidden lithium-ion batteries such as laptops, mobile phones, electric toothbrushes, vapes and earpods.

These batteries can become crushed or damaged in bin lorries or waste sites if they aren’t recycled and can cause fires.

There were over 1,200 fires in the waste system in the last 12 months, compared to 700 in 2022.