Much Loved Rainham Couple Leave Havering After “Life Threatening” Launders Lane Ordeal.

A Rainham couple who have lived in their home for more than fifty years have made what Cathy calls “an important yet for Shaun and I, sad announcement” as they prepare to leave Havering for good. Their decision comes after years of battling the ongoing issues at Launders Lane and what Cathy describes as the night that almost cost her life.

In June, Cathy says she found herself in a “life threatening situation through no fault of my own” after breathing in fumes from the nearby field. She told the Havering Daily she had “never experienced such terror”. She spent ten days in intensive care at Queens Hospital and then two more days on a respiratory ward at King George. “I have made no secret of the fact of how angry I feel having spent ten days in intensive care,” she said.

Returning home was far from the end of the ordeal. Cathy explained how weak she was, saying she needed handrails installed on both sides of the stairs because she could not climb them safely. “I actually fell the first time I attempted to go upstairs,” she said. She also described running fans around the clock because she could not open her windows or doors. A medical coach advised her to get an air purifier and a nebuliser. She said they had already paid thousands for fly screens so they could enjoy fresh air without insects, but these cannot stop fumes. “It was because I’d had my bedroom window open that I inhaled the extremely dangerous toxins,” she said.

The cost of trying to stay safe spiralled. Cathy estimates their financial loss is between ten and seventeen thousand pounds. “We had to bear the cost of all of it,” she said. The strain forced the couple to consider their future. Cathy said they realised what truly mattered to them. “That is my daughter and our grandsons,” she said. As a result, they made the difficult choice to move closer to family. “We reluctantly made the decision to move close to them,” she added.

Their fight for residents will continue for now but Cathy was honest about their limits. “I cannot promise just how long we will be able to do that,” she said, explaining that they want to focus on their grandchildren after giving everything they could to this issue. “I feel that we have given this our very best shot and in my case it almost cost me my life.”

Cathy said that although they have met many wonderful people through the campaign, the stress and emotional strain have been huge. She thanked those who supported her during and after her hospital stay, saying the friendships she built have “got me through many frustrating times.” She also described weeks of clearing out a lifetime of belongings before the move, much of which has been donated to families and charities. She even turned to her young grandson for help, saying he offered “a common sense approach to my decluttering.”

Cathy said anyone who wants to step up and take on the ongoing work should contact her and Shaun. “We can help prepare you for the onslaught,” she said, acknowledging the pressure but also the importance of the fight.

Ultimately, their decision comes down to survival. “What’s happened to us and continues to be ignored is wrong at the very highest level,” Cathy said, adding that she now needs to live somewhere she can breathe freely. After her near fatal experience last summer, she says her health must come first. Many residents see their departure as a sad moment for Rainham and a stark reminder of the unresolved concerns surrounding Launders Lane.

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