Binmen from a North East council were forced to empty an entire load of household waste onto the street to stop a fire from spreading after a gas canister and microwave were among the waste.

The incident happened sometime yesterday in Redcar and resulted in waste being dumped on a street over fears of a fire spreading.

The Northern Echo: Picture: REDCAR AND CLEVELAND BOROUGH COUNCILPicture: REDCAR AND CLEVELAND BOROUGH COUNCIL (Image: Picture: REDCAR AND CLEVELAND BOROUGH COUNCIL)

Shocking pictures from the scene show a microwave and gas canister – along with other small electricals – among the waste.

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Hair straighteners were also in the waste prompting warnings from Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council.

The Northern Echo: Picture: REDCAR AND CLEVELAND BOROUGH COUNCILPicture: REDCAR AND CLEVELAND BOROUGH COUNCIL (Image: Picture: REDCAR AND CLEVELAND BOROUGH COUNCIL)

A spokesperson for the council said: “Please do not put electrical items in your household and recycling waste bins. They can cause fire and put people at serious risk.

“To help you easily dispose of your small electronics, we have installed WEEE (waste, electrical and electronic equipment) banks borough-wide where you can take anything from kettles to vape pens.

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“Anything larger than a kettle or toaster can be taken to Dunsdale tip or can be collected as part of our Bulky Waste Collection service.”

The Northern Echo: Picture: REDCAR AND CLEVELAND BOROUGH COUNCILPicture: REDCAR AND CLEVELAND BOROUGH COUNCIL (Image: Picture: REDCAR AND CLEVELAND BOROUGH COUNCIL)

Residents on social media were shocked at the discovery with one person saying: “A bloody microwave, really. What were they thinking?”

Another person congratulated the binmen involved in spotting the danger they said: “Well done to everyone involved in the detection of the flames and clear up of the waste.”