‘Havering Council Stop Dragging Your Heels Over Launders Lane’-Petition Handed In Demanding Action over ‘Rainham Volcano’.

By Ruth Kettle-Frisby – Guest Writer and Community Activist

Ruth is passionate about fostering positive change within the local community and regularly contributes insights and stories to The Havering Daily.

Yesterday, 26 August, Clear the Air in Havering handed their public petition to Havering Council. 

The petition has been signed by over 1,100 people and calls on Havering Council to force action to prevent theLaunders Lane fires. 

 Havering Council is dragging its heels over the new decision on whether or not what is being dubbed in the national press, the ‘Rainham Volcano’, is finally to be designated as contaminated land. 

 Clear the Air in Havering sincerely hopes that this time lag signifies due attention to expert advice and health data into the effects of repeated exposure to short-term spikes in dangerous particulate matter from toxic smoke. 

 These effects from unknown chemicals in the smoke include everything from nose bleeds, coughing episodes, itching eyes and sore throats through to cancers and devastating mental health impacts of living in close proximity to this ongoing nightmare. 

 Havering Council’s first duty of care is to its residents, who have effectively been abandoned all summer. As far as we can tell, there have been no summer email updates, and all residents have been told publicly is that a new decision is imminent. 

 Meanwhile an entire summer of further neglect has seen eruptions of numerous fires spewing toxic smoke into Rainham children’s lungs.

 Clear the Air in Havering continue to call on Havering Council to take responsibility: to do the right thing by lawfully applying the Contaminated Land Statutory Guidance and designating the site as contaminated.

 This would be a crucial step, giving both the council and the Environment Agency specific legal obligations to clean up the land.

Please see the petition link below:

https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-launders-lane-fires-justice-for-rainham-childr

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