Sadiq Khan to Write To Government Calling For Launders Lane Rubbish Dump To Be Cleared.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan says he will write to the government reiterating calls for a perennially burning rubbish dump to be cleared, writes local democracy reporter Sebastian Mann.
Arnolds Field, in Launders Lane in Havering, has caught fire more than 160 times since 2018, with nearby residents reporting coughs and itchy eyes as acrid smoke billows into their homes.
The new Reform administration in Havering Council has committed to extinguishing the ‘Rainham Volcano,’ with council leader Keith Prince looking to work with Khan to flag the crisis to the government.
Following a meeting with the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) last week, Cllr Prince asked Khan if he would write a follow-up letter “supporting our arguments that Launders Lane really must be considered for clearance”.
The mayor said he was “more than happy to do so” and to “work together to try and make some progress here”.
The meeting between Defra and Havering was focused primarily on the fires and impacts on health, which is outside the Environmental Agency’s remit.
Councillors said they would write to Defra to seek a judicial review on the sites that have been chosen for clearance and why Launders Lane has not.
The Environment Agency provides advice on dealing with the fires, but the town hall is ultimately responsible for regulating the site and monitoring air quality
Havering Council formally designated the land as contaminated last year but the fires could continue for up to three more years due to lengthy legal processes, it was revealed in the summer.
Clean the Air in Havering told the previous Havering Residents Association administration that time “was of the essence” and “clean air and a clean environment is a human right”.
The group has described the warmer months as “summers of hell,” as residents spend their days with the windows shut.
Cllr Prince said in August: “This is a complex and long-running issue on privately owned land, but complexity cannot be an excuse for inaction.”
“The people affected deserve clean air, peace of mind and the ability to use their homes, gardens and local spaces without fear of smoke from repeated fires. That is what we are working to achieve.”
The landowner – who did not dump the waste there – previously said his position would “remain fully reserved” until a legal case was launched but the town hall had repeatedly failed to respond to him.
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Maybe Khan should write his resignation , he’s screwed up on the train line closures over Christmas and the new year, especially as he’s charged people to go and watch the new year fireworks .