Havering Conservatives Demand Answers as ‘Rainham Volcano’ Is Left Off Prime Minister’s Waste Dump List
Conservatives in Havering have written to local Labour MP Margaret Mullane to express their deep disappointment that the Arnolds Field waste site on Launders Lane – known as the Rainham Volcano – has been left off Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s recent announcement to clean up the country’s most serious illegal waste sites.
The “Volcano” refers to land in Rainham that has been the site of illegal waste dumping since the turn of the century, and has been in and out of the news for the last 20 years over the scale of the problems. In 2011, Police searching the land found all manner of illegal waste, as well as a cannabis factory. Despite the original owner having been jailed in 2011, dumping continued. Today, the site is believed to be 5 metres deep with illegal waste, and has resulted in more than 200 fires on the site since 2018 alone. Temperatures on portions of the land have reached as high as 176 degrees in places as a result of toxic waste, and residents in Rainham have been exposed to the resulting fumes and fires.
Writing to MP for Dagenham and Rainham Margaret Mullane, Havering Conservatives have called for an urgent review of the decision to exclude the Rainham Volcano from the PM’s waste sites clean-up fund, and the publication of the criteria used to select sites for funding. The letter also asks Mullane to publish any representations she has made to the Government regarding the site and the clean-up fund, as well as any representations that Labour Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan has made too. Havering Conservatives hope that Labour politicians will lobby the Government to include the site in the clean-up plan.
At present, attempts to clean up the Volcano have met a legal deadlock between Reform-controlled Havering Council and the current owner of the land, who purchased it in 2017 and claims that there is no legal or technical justification for the works that Havering Council is providing. Conservatives believe that funding from central government could break the deadlock by taking the fiscal responsibility away from the council and the landowner. Conservatives hope action can be forthcoming, as the site has been linked to health issues such as breathing problems, chest pains, and headaches as a result of the toxic fires.
Chairman of Dagenham & Rainham Conservatives in Havering, Matej Travnicek, said:
“The Rainham Volcano needs to be dealt with once and for all. Taxpayers cannot be expected to fund the extinguishing of these fires in perpetuity while the root cause remains unresolved. We need a permanent solution that protects residents and finally puts an end to this long-running problem.”
Sade Adeeko, Rainham Conservative Action Team Lead, said:
“Time and time again, people of Rainham were promised by Labour that they would tackle the fires. And when the Prime Minister announces funding to clean up illegal waste sites, Rainham is not on the list. Residents deserve to know why Launders Lane was excluded and what representations their Labour MP made to secure funding.”
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