Local residents and businesses affected by the Marshgate fire last summer are invited to share their experiences of the incident so lessons can be learned for the future.

The feedback gathering event will be held in the Council Chamber, at the Civic Offices, in Euclid Street, on Tuesday, 26th May, at 6pm.

The fire, which broke out on Tuesday, 21st July last year at the Averies Recycling (Swindon) Ltd site in Marshgate, Swindon, resulted in a multi-agency major incident. The meeting has been organised by the Task Group established by Swindon Borough Council’s Scrutiny Committee to investigate the circumstances leading to the incident and the Local Resilience Forum’s independent multi-agency debrief.

In addition to this meeting, the Task Group will also be questioning representatives from organisations involved in the multi-agency incident, including Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, the Environment Agency, Swindon Borough Council, Public Health England and Wiltshire Police.

After this comprehensive review, the Task Group will report back on their findings and, if necessary, make recommendations.

Cllr Maureen Penny, Chair of the Task Group, said: “This is an opportunity for anyone who was directly affected by the fire, as either a resident or business, to share their experiences and views. We want to examine and review the situation and its impact as thoroughly as possible so we can establish what worked well and what could have been done differently, so we can learn for the future. Due to the ongoing nature of the review, we won’t be in a position to answer individual questions at this meeting. However, all the feedback will be used to help our investigation and inform any subsequent recommendations. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone in advance for sparing their time to attend.”