A FIRE chief has revealed the likely cause of a major fire at a waste depot.

A blaze lit up Hollingdean waste transfer station late on Sunday night.

Fire crews remained at the scene for more than 12 hours as they fought the fire.

But Tom Walby, who was the incident commander for East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service on the night of the blaze, has revealed the likely cause of the inferno.

He said: “With all the rubbish within the premises completely destroyed by the fire, it is very difficult to establish a definitive cause. 

“After consultation with the workers on site, the most likely cause will be due to a disposable barbecue being thrown away in a communal domestic waste bin. 

“If these barbecues are not completely cold when thrown away, they can easily ignite other rubbish within the bin and the larger pile when the bin is emptied in the waste transfer station.”