The blaze at the former Hunter Group waste site in Lockwood flared up again last night – and residents should expect more smoke over the weekend.

Firefighters returned to the scene at Queens Mill Road and remained there throughout the day today (Friday).

And contractors will use heavy equipment to move waste around the site to help firefighters tackle the fire over this weekend. This means crews should be able to reach some of the deeper areas of the site which are very hot or still on fire. But it will mean an increase in smoke and odours from the site and a footpath next to it has been closed.

It is now more than a week since the blaze ignited at the festering site, which was abandoned several weeks ago.

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Sam Watt, 44, who lives at the nearby Star Inn, tweeted on Friday to say it “smells like no sleep again.”

A spokesman for Huddersfield Fire Station said: “We will continue to be a presence at the site until all the waste has been dug out.

“We can expect to be there for quite a few days yet.”

Local people expressed their frustrations online. One said: “I could taste melted plastic fumes in the air.

“My dad owns a business down there and has complained of chest pains since this started.”

Another resident added: “It’s been grim.”