RESIDENTS living near a planned solar farm have called for tighter safety measures over fears a battery storage facility could explode.

The huge 279-acre Roundhill Solar Farm could be built off Earls Common Road in Stock Green near Inkberrow under plans by JBM Solar.

But the move has been criticised by locals who now have heightened fears over potential fire following an intervention by the region’s fire service.

JBM Solar said it would only be using ‘common’ lithium batteries on the site, which are used in mobile phones and laptops, and each storage facility would be fitted with a range of safety measures to prevent any fires.

In a submission to the council’s planners, Adrian Elliott, assistant chief fire officer at Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service, said the risk of explosion was “unfortunately very real” and “becoming more common” as more battery storage facilities were built across the country.

Mr Elliott said there was currently no “preferred” way to put out a lithium battery fire and firefighters would only have two options – either to let the fire burn or keep it under control with a “significant” amount of water.

The fire service said that if the decision was made to ‘let it burn’ then it would “significantly impact” the surrounding area for at least 24 to 48 hours.

JBM Solar said the batteries it intended to use would have built-in automatic fire suppression and would be monitored individually 24/7 so any faults could be isolated, and batteries could be shut off before any potential fire could occur.

Some of the other proposed safety measures include a minimum 10-metre gap between any battery containers as well as trees and hedges, safe working areas, and turning bays with enough room for fire engines.

The solar panel company said the batteries would also be spread out and not concentrated in one location – which would reduce the risk of a fire spreading.

Phil Coathup, from the Roundhill Wood Solar Farm opposition group, said it was “clear” the storage facility posed a “real danger” and residents had a right to know what would happen in the event of a fire.

“Would local residents and Inkberrow primary school be evacuated in the event of a fire and the toxic fumes it would create?” he said. “Would people be forced to leave their homes and for how long? How far away would toxic fumes be expected to impact people?

“There are also serious concerns about access to the planned site in an emergency, water supply and ventilation of these huge battery units and the community needs reassurance from the developer that it has a plan in place to deal with any explosions.”

The plans have attracted hundreds of objections not only locally from those concerned with safety but also from across the country who want the land, which they claim inspired the Shire in JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, to be protected.

While residents are raising concerns about the site’s historic link to the famous author, JRR Tolkien grew up in Sarehole in the 1890s which was then part of Worcestershire but is now in Birmingham.

While the author would have been familiar with Worcestershire’s green spaces, there are no references to any links with the land in question or its influence on the Lord of the Rings.

JBM said the site was only temporary and the panels would be removed after 40 years.