What you should do with your unwanted Christmas lights

• UK households are being urged to recycle broken or unwanted Christmas lights and 'fast-tech' due to a surge in fires caused by lithium-ion batteries in waste systems.
• Lithium-ion batteries, commonly found in festive electrical goods, can ignite dangerous fires when crushed in bin lorries or at waste sites if disposed of in everyday rubbish.
• Firefighters and waste management workers are increasingly at risk, with incidents tying up emergency resources and posing significant dangers to crews.
• A survey of local authorities revealed an average of over three battery-related fires per area from 2023-2024, with 94% of responding areas reporting an increase.
• Recycling campaigns advise using designated electrical recycling points and removing batteries from items before disposal to prevent these avoidable and hazardous incidents.

IN FULL

Warning issued over Christmas lights amid fire safety fears