News for the community, by the community.
Residents living near the Launders Lane landfill site in Rainham are raising urgent concerns after discovering a thick layer of black dust settling on their properti
For most of us, mornings begin with a coffee and perhaps an open window to let in the fresh air. But for residents living on Launders Lane, life couldn’t be more different. Their first thought each day isn’t about breakfast, it’s about whether they can breathe.
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As most of us across Havering were pleased to see the sunshine this weekend, the first thing we did was open our windows to let in the fresh air. But for those living near Launders Lane in Rainham, it was another challenging weekend. Instead of enjoying the weather, residents were forced to keep their windows firmly shut as a thick smog and overwhelming odour hung over the area.
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Most of us have read about the smoke-filled air across Rainham caused by the Launders Lane landfill site. But unless you live there, it’s hard to grasp the devastating impact it has on people’s everyday lives. The Havering Daily spoke with 70-year-old Pauline, who was diagnosed with COPD eight years ago, to hear first-hand what it’s like living just one mile from the site — where even opening a window can feel like a dangerous gamble.
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Invisible particles, toxic fumes and a summer of suffocating conditions — Rainham residents say enough is enough.
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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.
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In light of the ongoing issues at Launders Lane, Rainham, earlier this year Margaret Mullane, the Member of Parliament for Dagenham and Rainham, put in a request to the Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology (POST) to commission a piece of research into the impact of legacy landfill on communities and the environment. The application was successful, and POST are now seeking contributions to provide study evidence.
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Clear The Air in Havering Campaigner Ruth Kettle Frisby has written to Havering Council urging them to make the correct decision in regards to Launders Lane in Rainham. Campaigners are hoping that following a court ruling in their favour that went against Havering Council’s decision to rule Launders Lane land as ‘not contaminated’, the council will now take the right steps to help residents.
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To put this really plainly, the reason Rainham residents feel gaslit by Havering Council’s decision not to designate the land on Arnolds Field as contaminated is that the data recording the thick smoke that’s choking their children during the summer is then averaged over the course of a year.
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This raises the question of what is more important, the health of Rainham residents or the council’s latest newsletter? As we approach the summer, and the prospect of more underground fires on Arnolds Field looms over my constituents, I know where my priority lies.”
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As the summer officially began on Saturday 21 June, bringing with it the hottest day of the year so far with temperatures reaching a sweltering 34°C, most people were out enjoying the sunshine. But for the residents of Rainham, this time of year only brings dread. While others bask in the sun, those living near the notorious Launders Lane landfill site are bracing for yet another season of toxic, choking fumes that seep into their homes and lungs.
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A Launders Lane campaigner from the local steering group in Rainham that has been battling against the toxic landfill site for years, was yesterday rushed into hospital struggling to breathe.
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The current HRA Administration keep talking about “openness and transparency” – anyone for buzzword bingo – to me actions speak louder than words.
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We are now reviewing the detail in the ruling. One thing that is clear is it has asked us to reconsider our decision on whether Arnolds Field (Launders Lane) is “contaminated land” or not.
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“Please Havering Council-for all our sake’s use these court findings proactively, give urgent attention to this very critical matter, the residents and their children’s lives depend on it.”
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Ruth Kettle-Frisby and a team of Havering mums have won a major legal victory after the High Court ruled that Havering Council acted unlawfully in its decision not to designate Launders Lane (Arnolds Field) as contaminated land.
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On Wednesday 12 May, local campaigner and activist Ruth Kettle-Frisby took to the streets pf London to attend a special summit where she was invited to to give a speech about the nightmare that is Launders Lane.
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The Member of Parliament for Dagenham and Rainham has stressed that the health of residents in her constituency is a priority for her and she is doing everything she can to resolve the situation at Launders Lane.
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It’s like living in a Chernobyl fall out zone. Enough talk, time for action now.”
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Today, Wednesday 11 June at the Houses of Parliament, Havering campaigner Ruth Kettle-Frisby will join, politicians, trade unions and legal representatives who are coming together with a single purpose: to place the ticking time bomb of contaminated land and water centre-stage and address the urgent task of drawing up legislation to make UK environmental protections fit for purpose.
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