M275 closed as smoke covers the motorway following fire at recycling plant - road now reopened with speed restrictions

Around 40 firefighters were on the scene at around 6.30am this morning (July 6) to tackle the fire at the TJ Waste & Recycling materials recovery facility with up to 100 tonnes of dry waste alight.

Smoke from the fire has lead to the closure of the M275. It has now reopened but both carriageways are running with a reduced speed limit of 50mph. A spokesman for Hampshire Fire and Rescue service said: “A number of crews from across Hampshire are tackling a fire in a large waste processing unit consisting of two floors, with approx 60 to 100 tonnes of domestic dry waste.

“There is a large amount of smoke travelling across the M275, which has now been closed by our colleagues, Hampshire Roads Policing Unit we ask that motorists be vigilant, and where possible avoid the area. Please close windows and doors.”

A spokesperson for TJ Waste & Recycling said: “We are grateful to Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue for attendance following reports from the public of smoke coming from our Portsmouth materials recovery facility at Tipner in the early hours of this morning.

“Thankfully there were no TJ staff on site. The seat of the fire, which has damaged the building, was in a sorting bay of non-hazardous domestic and commercial waste materials.

“The facility will be closed until further notice – we will be advising customers of the situation.

“This is the first time anything like this has happened and we apologise to the disruption caused to the public following closure of the motorway for safety reasons.”