Exclusive: Residents In Rainham Living Near Launders Lane Toxic Landfill Hit Out: ‘We Have Serious Concerns Over The Number Of Women Being Diagnosed With Breast Cancer.’

Residents living in Rainham know that this is the time of year that they have to shut windows, close doors, bring children in from their gardens and even go as far as wearing masks inside their homes to avoid the horrendous fumes coming from Arnolds Field, Launders Lane.

It is over 20 years that residents have suffered the consequences from the toxins buried within the Rainham field. As the summer arrives, so do the fires and residents and firefighters alike, prepare themselves for more choking fumes.

Part of the Launders Lane steering group- Catherine and Coral, spoke to the Havering Daily about the endless issues they face.

“Various health conditions have been reported, from nose bleeds to far more serious respiratory illnesses like COPD, asthma, lung cancer.We have enormous concerns about the number of women being diagnosed with breast cancer. It cannot all be coincidental,” they told us.

The group is equally frustrated at the time it is taking to get any form of action.

“Whilst the council go back and forth with the landowner, it’s the residents who are suffering. Residents cannot open windows or enjoy outdoor activities such as cricket, playing in the park and in their own back gardens. We are essentially prisoners in our own homes.”

Meetings take place each summer, talk goes back and forth between who or what is being done, but the bottom line is-the fires are still burning and residents are still suffering as a result.

Catherine finished with a strong message to all involved-“It’s like living in a Chernobyl fall out zone. Enough talk, time for action now.”

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