Owner blocks 'Rainham volcano' fix, council says

The owner of a former illegal landfill site in east London which repeatedly catches fire has refused permission for the local council to implement its own temporary solution.

Fires at Arnolds Field in Launders Lane, Rainham, have plagued residents for years and Havering Council said it wanted to carry out the work before the summer.

The temporary fix for the site, dubbed the Rainham Volcano, involved covering hotspots with a cement polymer covering (CPC).

The council said the landowner, Jerry O'Donovan of DMC Services (Essex), withheld permission to administer the CPC, but agents for O'Donovan have argued certain site work needs planning permission or further environmental assessments.

Environmental consulting firm Icon, brought in by the landowner, said the council had not provided the legal or technical evidence needed to justify the works.

It said O'Donovan was willing to work with Havering Council, but only if the authority shows a clear, lawful basis for what it wants to do.

Last month, O'Donovan told the BBC he tried for seven years to fund a clear-up by developing part of the site, but said Havering Council had told him there was "no appetite" for his plan.

O'Donovan, who was not responsible for the waste dumping on the site, said he was not invited to the council meeting in January when the CPC action was agreed.

Havering Council said he was consulted on the action prior to the public cabinet meeting, and his views were included in the report.

Gillian Ford, deputy leader of Havering Council, said she was extremely disappointed with the situation and there was "no choice but to continue to pursue legal action against the landowner as our only course of action to solve the Launders Lane crisis.

"We put forward a practical, temporary solution to help contain the fires this summer and give them time to develop a permanent, long-term solution. We even offered to pay for it.

"And despite this, he's continued to drag his feet at every step of the way and at the eleventh hour has now not given permission for the council to step in to provide a temporary solution to the fires."

O'Donovan said in February he was concerned the polymer seal would not stop deep‑seated fires and could delay ecological surveys needed for his planning application and site remediation.

Ford said the refusal was "a clear message to the Rainham community that [O'Donovan] holds no regard for the health and wellbeing of local residents and only cares about what's in his best interests and his own personal gain".

Havering Council said it would continue to call on the government and the Greater London Authority for funding and support to expedite a legal solution.

O'Donovan has previously told Politics London that a permanent fix would be quicker and cheaper for the taxpayer if the council worked with him to remove the worst material, and offered his machinery and staff at cost price.

"All the money the council has wasted over the last seven years and the £300,000 they are now committing to spending is part of a vanity project," O'Donovan said.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk