16.11.22 – Road Safety Week, Recycling Plant Fire in Chesterton, Illegal Vapes Confiscated in SOT

In the last 12 months, 221 people were killed or seriously injured on our roads – which is why the Staffordshire Safer Roads Partnership (SSRP) is supporting a national campaign to raise awareness of the part everyone can play in making our roads safe.

‘Road Safety Week’ is taking place all this week and runs until Sunday 20 November, which is also World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. The focus of this year’s campaign is on making our roads safe for all, no matter who we are or how we travel.

Deputy Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire & Rescue and Crime Helen Fisher co-Chairs the SSRP, alongside Staffordshire Commissioner Ben Adams.

Helen said: “Road safety is a top priority for myself and the Commissioner. It’s vital we keep Staffordshire’s road network as safe as possible for everyone, whether we walk, ride, cycle or drive.

“Sadly, too many people continue to die or suffer serious injuries on our roads, with devasting consequences for their families, friends and communities.

Road Safety Week is the UK’s flagship event to promote safer road use, coordinated annually by the charity Brake and involving thousands of schools, communities and organisations across the country.

Full details on this year’s campaign can be found at www.roadsafetyweek.org.uk. People can also support the campaign by following #RoadSafetyWeek on Twitter and sharing posts on their social media channels.

Find out more about the work of the Staffordshire Safer Roads Partnership here: www.staffssaferroads.co.uk

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More than ten firefighters worked to extinguish two separate fires inside a recycling plant in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Crews were called to Talke Road in Chesterton shortly after 8.40 on Sunday night. A fire within a waste lorry had began to spread within the premises. The fire was extinguished by 11.15pm.  At 5am the following morning, a separate report of a waste fire within the premises was received.

A single crew from Newcastle reattended and discovered a fire burning within a controlled area.  No one was injured in either fire.

Upon inspection, the cause was believed to be deliberate and Staffordshire Police are currently investigating.

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Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s Trading Standards Team has removed 5,000 illegal vapes, worth around £66,000 from the market since April 2022.

The vapes have been seized as part of ongoing inspections and test purchasing exercises being carried out at premises across the City. Illegal vapes include those with illegal tank sizes containing too much vaping liquid, and incorrect labelling.

In some cases vapes sold as ‘zero nicotine’ have been found to actually contain nicotine, with it being listed as an ingredient on the label.

Vaping devices are highly regulated by the government to control the amount of nicotine. They also have to be approved by the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency. The legal capacity of a disposable e-cigarette tank is 2ml.

This is becoming an increasing problem and genuine traders could be caught out.