Key Points
- Havering Council is proceeding with a short-term plan to reduce underground fires at the notorious Arnolds Field site, known locally as the “Rainham Volcano.”
- The site in Launders Lane, Rainham, has caught fire more than 100 times since 2019.
- A polymer seal will be sprayed across the most fire-prone areas to prevent oxygen from fuelling sub-surface fires.
- The temporary measure aims to give the landowner time to present a permanent development proposal.
- Havering Council Leader Ray Morgon confirmed that talks with the landowner are ongoing.
- The plan is being developed following a High Court ruling that forced the council to designate the site as “contaminated land.”
- Funding discussions with several government departments and agencies are underway to cover the cost of the works.
- Campaign group Clean the Air Havering, which led the legal action, continues to monitor progress.
- The council warns that any full remediation or redevelopment could take between three and seven years.
- Local residents have faced years of air pollution concerns and repeated evacuation incidents due to toxic smoke.
Havering Council is moving ahead with an urgent plan to prevent further fires at Rainham’s notorious Arnolds Field site, known as the “Rainham Volcano.” The move follows years of frustration for residents and a recent High Court ruling that forced the council to address the land’s hazardous condition.
Why has the Rainham site been called the ‘Rainham Volcano’?
The derelict plot at Launders Lane, officially named Arnolds Field, has earned the nickname “Rainham Volcano” due to the constant underground smouldering that leads to repeated surface fires. As reported by BBC News, the site has caught fire more than 100 times since 2019, releasing thick, foul-smelling smoke into nearby streets and forcing residents to keep windows shut for long periods.
The fires stem from a troubled history of illegal dumping and unmanaged waste decomposition. According to BBC London’s Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), between 2002 and 2014, Arnolds Field was used for fly tipping and illegal storage activities, including firearms and drug operations. The combination of chemical waste, combustible materials, and limited site maintenance has left the land unstable and prone to spontaneous ignition.
What does Havering Council plan to do to stop the fires?
As reported by LDRS, Havering Council plans to hire a contractor next month to apply a polymer seal across areas considered most at risk of catching fire. The polymer acts as a barrier by reducing oxygen levels in the soil, thereby cutting off the primary ingredient that allows underground fires to remain active.
Ray Morgon, Leader of Havering Council and head of the Havering Residents Association, explained to the Local Democracy Reporting Service that this is intended as a temporary measure. Mr Morgon said:
“We are in talks with the landowner about putting a temporary solution in before next summer to stop the fires until he can implement a permanent solution, either through putting forward a planning application on developing the land — that should include solving the problem for good — or through some other means.”
The council expects that the polymer seal will remain effective long enough to bridge the period until more comprehensive works can begin. Morgon added that the local authority is pursuing a solution with “as much urgency as possible so residents don’t once again suffer.”
Who will fund the fire prevention works?
The total cost of the short-term intervention has not yet been disclosed. However, BBC News reports that Havering Council will initially fund the work and is actively seeking financial help from national bodies.
In a statement quoted by BBC News, the council said letters had been sent to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Ministry for Local Government, the Environment Agency, and the Greater London Authority (GLA) requesting contributions to offset the cost of the emergency measures.
Despite these efforts, the council previously warned that any “substantial” remedial action may span three to seven years, reflecting the scale and depth of contamination beneath the site.
What did the High Court ruling decide about Arnolds Field?
The legal battle surrounding the site reached a turning point earlier in 2024. In June, the High Court ruled that Havering Council had acted unlawfully by failing to designate Arnolds Field as “contaminated land” — a statutory classification that compels local authorities to address public health risks under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
According to coverage by BBC News and Clean the Air Havering, a campaign group composed of local residents, the ruling followed a judicial review brought forward after years of community pressure. Campaigners claimed the council’s inaction had left families to endure toxic fumes and ash in their homes.
In response to the court’s findings, Havering Council officially declared the site contaminated in October 2024, paving the way for formal remediation procedures and regulatory oversight.
How did the site become such a health and safety hazard?
Arnolds Field’s degradation stems from decades of unauthorised waste deposits and inadequate monitoring. According to BBC News LDRS, the land — originally farmland — began attracting illegal dumping in the early 2000s. Large amounts of industrial, construction and household waste, including flammable materials, were buried haphazardly.
Investigations revealed that methane and other gases produced by decomposing waste built up beneath the surface, creating the conditions for underground ignition. Multiple reports from Clean the Air Havering documented high levels of fumes, ash particles, and odour, affecting residents in the Launders Lane and Wennington areas.
Local families have frequently described dread at the smell of burning waste returning with every outbreak. One resident told the LDRS last summer that “it’s like living next to an open fire pit — you can’t breathe, you can’t sleep, and you feel forgotten.”
What has been the response from environmental agencies and campaigners?
While Havering Council has taken the lead in organising immediate works, environmental and community groups remain cautious about long-term outcomes. Clean the Air Havering’s campaign coordinator, Angela Mercer, welcomed the temporary sealing proposal but urged transparency about funding and timelines.
Speaking to BBC News, Mercer said:
“We need to see a clear plan that doesn’t just push the problem further down the line. Residents have endured nearly a decade of suffocating smoke — the council must keep the community informed every step of the way.”
An Environment Agency spokesperson, quoted by the LDRS, confirmed ongoing monitoring but emphasised that enforcement primarily rests with the local authority:
“We continue to work closely with Havering Council, providing guidance and support where appropriate, while reminding the landowner of their responsibility to address contamination.”
When will residents see meaningful results?
Havering Council expects the polymer sealing operation to begin in early 2026, pending the completion of contractor procurement next month. Once the seal is applied, council leaders believe the fires should be significantly reduced within weeks, if successful.
The long-term resolution, however, depends on the landowner’s cooperation in redeveloping or rehabilitating the site. Ray Morgon stated that a planning application addressing the “root causes” of the fires will be necessary to remove the ongoing risk permanently.
Until then, residents are left hoping that the temporary fix will hold through another summer. “We’re moving as quickly as possible,” Morgon told BBC News. “Whatever the outcome, we cannot allow this cycle of fires and pollution to continue.”
Is there a clear end in sight for the ‘Rainham Volcano’?
Experts caution that reclaiming a site of Arnolds Field’s scale and complexity is rarely simple. The underground chemical reactions and residual waste gases can persist for years without sustained treatment. Engineering consultants have warned that unless the waste is excavated or neutralised, the ground may continue generating heat and gas beneath the surface.
Still, the new measures are widely considered a critical step forward after years of inertia. The polymer sealing project marks the first tangible intervention since the High Court’s contamination ruling — a sign that Havering Council is at last mobilising resources to tackle one of London’s most stubborn environmental hazards.
As BBC London concluded in its December report, the “Rainham Volcano” could soon fall silent, but only if policy, accountability, and science converge in time to restore the land — and the trust — of the community it has scarred for so long.
