Flames shot out of a bin lorry in dramatic footage captured as firefighters hosed down rubbish to bring it under control.

Horsham District Council has released the footage in a bid to show the public the danger of throwing batteries in their bins.

The crew had to stop and evacuate the lorry when flames came from inside the main chamber of the truck, where the rubbish is.

The five-tonne recycling load had to be dumped as refuse after being doused to put out the fire, which happened on February 29.

The council did not say exactly where in Horsham the incident happened but it told residents to "recycle responsibly". It is believed the fire was caused by lithium batteries and resulted in a road closure while firefighters cooled down the blaze.

The Argus: Firefighters extinguishing the blazeFirefighters extinguishing the blaze (Image: Horsham District Council)

Read more: Warning to residents after blaze breaks out in bin lorry

Horsham district councillor Jay Mercer, cabinet member for environmental health, recycling and waste, said: “We are grateful that no one was hurt, and minimal damage was caused to the lorry on this occasion.

"This was mainly due to the quick thinking and brave efforts of our crew.

“Discarding batteries with recycling or refuse is particularly problematic as they present a fire risk when damaged.

“This sort of incident risks the safety of our crews, as well as taking firefighters from other urgent calls. Loose batteries can be easily recycled by placing them in a bag on your bin on collection day, and small electricals can be collected with our free bookable collection service.”