NEARLY 250 potentially deadly used gas cylinders have been collected during a month-long amnesty.
Scores of business people and residents took advantage of the opportunity to hand the empty canisters in for free. Firefighters were also on hand to teach householders and businesses about their legal responsibility to store cylinders safely.
Phil Butler, borough commander for London Fire Brigade, said: “Gas cylinders, especially acetylene cylinders, are potential death traps. Apart from the obvious explosive danger, we are concerned about the real cost of incidents involving cylinders to people in terms of disruption to the transport network, lost business income and general inconvenience.”
The amnesty, during which the usual charge for trade waste was waived, follows a similar scheme last year in which 300 old bottles were removed from the borough's streets.
Ideally, empty gas cylinders should be returned to their original supplier. However, if you have one you would like to recycle, Feltham's Spaye Waye reuse and recycling centre will accept up to four and recycle them free of charge, all year round (there is a fee for trade waste).
For more information, visit: www.hounslow.gov.uk/spacewaye
