Southampton City Council have issued a warning after a battery caused a fire inside one of its bin collection lorries.

The council is now urging resident to safely dispose of items with batteries that could cause a fire. 

Dramatic video footage shows a fire started inside a council bin collection lorry. 

A spokesperson for the council wrote on Facebook: "Do not put any batteries or any electrical items into household bins.

"Two fires occurred in the city in last week and were caused by residents disposing of items irresponsibly.

"This is not just a local issue – neighbouring councils are also experiencing the same problem with fires in Portsmouth and the New Forest areas, where the probable cause were batteries.

"Your actions can prevent disasters – please keep our teams and your area safe by thinking before you dispose of your waste.

"This video shows a fire in one of our waste vehicles today."