FIREFIGHTERS tackled a large blaze at a landfill site north of Haverfordwest in the early hours of this morning, though there are warnings the fire may not yet be fully extinguished.

Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue was called to Withyhedge Landfill site near Rudbaxton at 1.24am in the morning, and used five engines to fight the fire.

A water bowser was also on hand to supply the crews from Haverfordwest, Narberth and Pembroke Dock with extra water.

The fire service were joined in the operation by Natural Resources Wales, which regulates the landfill.

While MAWW Fire crews had left the site by 10.35am, NRW has warned about potential health risks caused by remains of the fire, which set alight refuse and grassland.

NRW has said small amounts of smoke from the fire may drift to the north of the site due to the direction of the wind.

If people are in areas that are affected by the smoke, stay indoors and keep doors and windows closed. If you need to be outdoors, avoid areas affected by smoke.

Motorists who have to travel through the smoke should keep windows closed, turn off air conditioning and keep their air vents closed.

Gavin Bown, Operations Manager for NRW, said: “Fires can have a serious impact on people and the environment, so it was important to work with our multi-agency partners and site operator to get this fire under control as quickly as possible.

“We’ll continue to monitor for any potential impact on the local environment.”

The site is an operational landfill operated by Resources Management UK Ltd who are supporting MWWFRS in tackling the fire.

The site has an environmental permit to operate as a non-hazardous landfill and takes in waste from a range of local authorities.