Beenham compost mound may burn until Christmas

The residents have been told to keep windows closed and to stay indoors as a pall of smoke drifts from the Beenham compost plant.
Firefighters issued the alert, warning that some substances in the smoke pouring from the football pitch-sized plant can irritate airways, the skin and the eyes.
The Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service further urged anyone experiencing breathlessness and chest pain to seek immediate medical advice.
On November 30, the huge pile of organic material apparently spontaneously combusted, sending plumes of smoke drifting for miles.
Fire chiefs warned it could burn for weeks to come.
Owners of the site, waste management giants Grundon, stated this week that they had leased the plant to Good2Grow Recycling Ltd in 2009.
The fire service statement said: “Around 1,000 tonnes of material, across an area the size of a football pitch, is involved.
"RBFRS has been assessing the situation on a daily basis and returned when strong winds began to generate more smoke.
"Because attempting to extinguish the fire would generate huge quantities of smoke, the fire will be allowed to burn in a controlled way to reduce the amount of material to a manageable level.
"It is likely this may take up to two weeks.”
The Environment Agency confirmed it had received six complaints and West Berkshire Council a further 12.
Grundon spokesman Andrew Short said the burning material was “mostly” green waste and added: “In the meantime, the Environment Agency is continuing with its efforts to contact the facility operators Good2Grow.”
Good2Grow Recycling has no website or publicised telephone number and Mr Short declined to provide contact details for them.
Meanwhile Padworth villagers were suffering the effects.
Teresa Rose, aged 58, of Padworth Close, said her 18-year-old son Robbie suffered from asthma and added: “He now has a potential chest infection and is on antibiotics.”
Another asthma sufferer, Steve Day of Swan Drive, said: “It’s effecting my breathing and my whole house stinks of the rancid smell.”
Eleanor Morahan, aged 71, of Beenham Hill, said she was afraid to leave the house and added: “There’s a huge great cloud of smoke coming towards me.”
It is not the first time that Good2Grow has been at the centre of a fire drama - in August Craig Sunderland, of Thatcham, was working at the Beenham plant when the mobile shredding machine he was using caught fire, igniting a pile of wood chippings.
Mr Sunderland had used a JCB digger to move a huge pile of wood chippings out of the way to prevent a larger fire taking hold, suffering burns and smoke inhalation in the process.