RESIDENTS were woken by exploding aerosol cans and the noxious smell of burning plastic and chemicals coming from a pile of dumped waste set on fire on a Southampton green.

People rushed from their homes to move parked cars away from an estimated 400 bags of burning rubbish – in some parts piled up to 10ft high – as firefighters tackled the blaze in Holly Oak Road.

Fears have now been raised that the scene could be repeated across the city as troublemakers take advantage of the mounting problem of piles of bin bags in areas that have gone weeks without rubbish collections.

It comes after reports of other small fires around Southampton as a planned protest bonfire of rotting waste in Regents Park Road was called off on Friday after police, fire and council officials vowed to intervene.

Refuse collectors and street cleaners are among the hundreds of workers on strike until tomorrow, but with talks between unions and council leaders having broken down, it is feared that more action could follow.

Residents living near the Holly Oak Road fire, which started at about 11.45pm on Saturday, believe it was inevitable that arsonists would attack the rubbish.

Fire chiefs say that the wall of rubbish was set alight in four different places.