Leader reaffirms commitment to ending Launders Lane fires misery

Havering Council’s Leader, Councillor Keith Prince AM, has reaffirmed the authority’s commitment to doing everything it can to stop the fires at Arnold’s Field, Launders Lane, and end the ongoing misery for local residents. 

At Cabinet on Wednesday 12 August, Councillors agreed the latest report on the privately owned contaminated land site in Rainham, following the landowner’s failure to allow voluntary works that could have stopped or significantly reduced fires and smoke affecting nearby communities. 

The report sets out the Council’s proposed next steps across enforcement, legal action and continued lobbying of Government and City Hall.

This includes preparing a Remediation Notice, considering the potential use of “Step In” powers if those legally responsible fail to comply, and escalating calls for national and regional support to help protect residents from further fires, smoke and disruption. 

Arnold’s Field was formally determined as contaminated land in October 2025 under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

The Council had been working towards a targeted solution for key hotspot areas before the 2026 summer fire season, but the landowner withheld permission for the work at the point final procurement documents were due to be issued. 

Since then, the Council has continued to pursue all available routes to secure action on the site despite the legal responsibility for resolving the fires, smoke and pollution resting with the current landowner and any previous landowners, polluters or other parties who may be liable. 

Councillor Keith Prince AM, Leader of Havering Council, said:  

"Residents living near Launders Lane have put up with fires, smoke, disruption and anxiety for far too long.

"I want to be absolutely clear: this Administration stands with them, and we will do everything within the Council’s powers to stop the fires and end this misery. 

"This is a complex and long-running issue on privately owned land, but complexity cannot be an excuse for inaction.

"The Council has pursued evidence, expert advice, environmental investigations and practical options to stop the fires.

"We supported a cost-effective temporary solution that could have brought relief to residents, but the landowner refused permission for that work to go ahead. 

"Our focus now is on fighting this issue on every front: enforcement, legal action and lobbying.

"Where the law allows, we will pursue those responsible, prepare for further enforcement action, and continue pressing the Government, the Environment Agency and the Mayor of London for the funding, powers and practical intervention needed to end this crisis. 

"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 Government and the Environment Agency have already stepped in on other serious illegal waste sites where there were unacceptable risks to residents, the environment and public safety.

"Havering residents deserve the same urgency, the same fairness and the same determination."

Lobbying Government for action 

The Council has also stepped up its lobbying of national government.

In his letter to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Dame Angela Eagle MP, Councillor Prince urged DEFRA to review its current position and actively consider Arnold’s Field for Government-funded clearance or remediation under the Waste Crime Action Plan, or another suitable route. 

The letter argues that Arnold’s Field is one of the largest and most harmful illegal waste sites in the country, covering around 17 hectares and containing an estimated 50,000 tonnes of waste.

It highlights the repeated fires, proximity to homes, a school, a park, a watercourse and major roads, and the continuing impact on residents’ health and daily lives. 

The Council has pointed to recent precedents where DEFRA and the Environment Agency have taken exceptional action on other illegal waste sites, including the Kidlington site near the A34 in Oxfordshire, where clearance began after fire risk concerns, and Bolton House Road in Bickershaw, Wigan, where central government funding assurances have enabled urgent clearance work to move forward. 

Councillor Prince has also asked officers to explore whether the Government’s position to exclude Arnold’s Field from fully funded clearance, despite the scale of the site and its impact on local people, could be legally challenged. 

Background 

Arnold’s Field, off Launders Lane in Rainham, has an initial history of legal excavation and landfill use, but was later followed by unauthorised and unlawful waste dumping.

Aerobic decomposition and combustible waste within the site has led to repeated fires and smoke incidents, particularly during warmer weather, with residents raising concerns about odour, dust, disruption and the impact on physical and mental wellbeing. 

Havering Council has commissioned and reviewed extensive technical work, including air quality monitoring, soil investigations, asbestos sampling, watercourse testing, public health evidence and options for capping or covering parts of the site.

The Council has also worked with partners including London Fire Brigade, the Environment Agency, health experts and local representatives. 

The Council previously proposed a solution for key hotspot areas as a temporary measure to stop or significantly reduce the fires while longer-term remediation was progressed by those legally responsible.

The landowner did not provide the permission needed for that work to proceed or provide sufficient details of his proposed alternative. 

Next steps 

Following Cabinet agreement of the report and recommendations, the Council will continue formal enforcement action through the contaminated land regime, pursue compliance from those legally responsible, and prepare for the potential use of Step In powers if required.

The Council will also continue lobbying DEFRA, the Environment Agency, the Mayor of London and other partners for urgent assistance, funding and intervention, while seeking to hold the current landowner, previous landowners, polluters and any other liable parties to account. 

The Council will also continue to keep residents informed as the legal and technical process progresses, recognising the strength of local concern and the urgent need for a practical solution before future summer fire seasons. 

Councillor Prince added:

"This issue has gone on for years. Residents need to see that the Council is on their side and that we are prepared to take firm, lawful and practical action.

"That means enforcement, legal routes and sustained lobbying for the outside support needed to finally end the harm being caused."