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A brook has been left heavily polluted in the aftermath of a large fire at a scrapyard on Penallta Industrial Estate.

After the fire, a “large amount” of oil and petrol spilled into the Nant Cylla, a tributary of the Rhymney river, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) confirmed.

The fire broke out at SL Recycling Ltd’s scrapyard on Wednesday afternoon, and was fully extinguished on Friday morning, shortly after 9am. The area was the site of another large fire in November 2017.

In a statement, South Wales Fire and Rescue Service said the blaze involved around 200 tonnes of machinery and recycling materials, including metal and plastic.

Station Commander Mark Kift, said: “Multiple crews from various stations in the South Wales area attended the scene and upon arrival were faced with a well-developed fire. Crews worked tirelessly to tackle the fire and utilised their training and a range of resources to prevent the fire from spreading and affecting other areas.

“As of this morning (Friday, September 3) our firefighters are no longer in attendance at the scene of the incident and thanks to a combined multi-agency operation, we were able to contain and extinguish the fire.”

He added: “The clean-up process is now underway and we would like to remind local residents that the recycling plant remains closed at this time and to follow any guidance from NRW and Public Health Wales regarding the surrounding area.”

Officers from NRW worked alongside the fire service, as well as Spill Response Wales, to pump the water used to extinguish the fire away from the site in order to reduce the risk of flooding nearby properties.

In a statement, NRW confirmed a number of dead fish have been found in the brook since the fire, but said measures have been taken to reduce the impact of pollution.

Bunding and matting had been put in the Nant Cylla, while pads have been put in nearby water courses to absorb any oil and petrol run off from the site of the fire.

Dams have also been created in nearby brooks, while four-inch pipes have been fitted to let clear water through.

NRW said it will continue to monitor the area in the coming days and advised residents to avoid contact with the water in the Nant Cylla and nearby water courses while clean-up operations take place.

A spokesperson for the Health and Safety Executive said it was aware of the incident and was making enquiries.

Anyone with environmental concerns can contact NRW on 03000 653 000.