IT SEEMS to us that there are several questions which need answering about the ongoing fire at a recycling plant in Newport, not least why it took so long for any information to be released about the fire, which started in a pile of wood chippings last month and which is still going on.

It was only when readers contacted us in their droves to complain about the lingering smell of burning wood and when we started asking questions of the company, Natural Resources Wales and others, that information began to be forthcoming.

We revealed last Wednesday that the source of the smell was a wood chippings fire which had been burning since the middle of November at South Wales Wood Recycling Ltd, based at Alexandra Docks in the city.

40,000 tonnes of wood chippings had caught fire, tying up Firefighters have been tied up on a daily basis since it started.

However, it was not until 24 hours later that Public Health Wales then stepped in to advise people to stay indoors and keep doors and windows closed because of the acrid smell.

The health body insists that the smoke is not harmful. But in our view, this information could and should have been available much earlier, given that the presence of the smoke could be problematic for people with existing health conditions.

But the problem has obviously not yet been solved, given that firefighters were once again called to the scene at the weekend.