Legal action threat to landfill owner over fires

The London Fire Brigade has been called out to Arnolds Field eight times this year

The owners of a former landfill site that has caught fire more than 100 times in five years have been threatened with legal action by a local authority.

Havering council served an abatement notice and community notice warning after residents complained that smoke from the fires at Arnolds Fields caused them health issues.

The field in Rainham has over 40,000 cubic metres of unregulated waste - about two storeys high - declared as "contaminated land" by the council.

Landowners DMC Ltd, which has appealed, has said the fires were due to "historic waste".

Analysis of the soil quality in November 2023 found the land contained asbestos, plastic bags, crisp packets, bricks, cans, polystyrene and asphalt.

In its 20-year history, the land has also been used as an illegal weapons store and a cannabis farm.

DMC Ltd, which purchased the land in 2017, said the council had not formally responded to its applications to improve the site.

The company previously said the council was "blocking" its efforts to clean the land up and they had left the land alone to "avoid antagonising the council and community".

As DMC Ltd has appealed, legal action will be suspended until it has been before the magistrates' court. A date has not yet been set.

The company also said the council was attempting to "conceal its responsibility" and that a dispute "would be a further waste of time".

Havering council has said the company must take "proactive steps" to minimise the risk of future fires, such as securing the site to prevent unauthorised access and possible arson.

However, DMC Ltd has said the fires were due to "historic waste previously deposited prior to the landowners' purchase" rather than arson.

London Fire Brigade's borough commander for Havering, Paul McClenaghan, said: "The fires are distressing for the local community and are putting firefighters at unnecessary risk.

"The reason the fires are happening regularly is due to the build-up of heat from rubbish dumped at the site over a long period of time.

"Local communities deserve a long-term solution to the problem," he added.

Havering council will be assessing the site in August to check if DMC Ltd has "complied" with the warning, it said.