The east London 'volcano' ready to erupt

Stan Claridge, like many Rainham residents, checks the air quality every day

The people of Rainham in east London are bracing themselves for fire season.

Under Arnolds Field on Launders Lane, tonnes of years-old and illegally dumped toxic waste have been smouldering beneath the surface for years.

The past five years have been the worst.

Each year as the weather begins to get warmer, fires bubble to the surface and filthy smoke makes locals choke. Residents have to keep their doors and windows closed even when the weather is hot. Especially when it's hot. There can be dozens of fires over the summer season on this field.

It's become known as the Rainham Volcano.

Pauline Claridge believes her breathing has got worse since the fires started

"It's an absolutely rancid, horrible smell, and it just burns your throat," says Pauline Claridge who has lived in this part of Rainham for 15 years. "Today I've checked the air quality and it's not good."

Pauline was diagnosed with asthma nine years ago, followed by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and emphysema about five years ago. She admits she used to be a smoker, and she grew up in post-war London's smoggy East End, but she believes her breathing conditions have been exacerbated and hastened by where she lives now.

"Some days I can't even sit out in the garden. I close the windows.

"It's gone on too long and feels like we're not being listened to. Everyone seems to be making excuses and no-one has even said sorry. And what's got everyone up in arms at the moment is that everyone's watched that Netflix programme, Toxic Town."

Toxic Town is a television programme based on a true story about residents fighting against toxic waste in Corby

Fires in the waste beneath Arnolds Field bubble up when the weather gets warmer

Pauline and her husband Stan live about a mile away from Arnolds Field, and barely a stone's throw from the village of Wennington.

In the July 2022 heatwave, Wennington was the scene of a wildfire which burnt down 18 houses. There are various theories about the cause.

Some residents in Rainham believe an ember from the fires on Arnolds Field might have started that blaze. They're worried something similar could happen in Rainham.

As landfill, Arnolds Field is considered too dangerous for London Fire Brigade to walk on. The foliage hides deep smouldering holes that firefighters could easily fall into, so they use hoses to fight the fires from a safe distance.

Drugs and guns

In the late 1990s permission was given by Havering Council to turn the Arnolds Field site into a waste dump. It was eventually supposed to be covered in topsoil and turfed over, and made level with the surrounding fields.

Instead, it rises in jagged and uneven peaks and troughs at the side of the local playground in Spring Farm Park - as if someone has thrown a mossy blanket to cover up an unsightly mess.

At that time, it was owned by a man called John Reilly. There are reports of all sorts of illegal waste being dumped there over the years. Reilly was given a 12-year jail sentence in 2011 after police raided the site and found drugs and guns in a maze of underground bunkers.

The land now belongs to a local businessman, Jerry O'Donovan, who bought it at auction in 2017. He wants to put a depot on it for his machinery.

Firefighters tackle a blaze in Arnolds Field in 2020

Fires break out on the Launders Lane site all through the summer months

Arnolds Field is officially greenbelt land, but under the surface there is nothing green about it.

Soil analysis in November 2023 found the land contained asbestos, plastic, polystyrene and asphalt. Havering Council commissioned an investigation of potential health risks, but decided not to designate the land as contaminated.

A local campaign group is challenging the council's decision in a judicial review, for which the High Court granted permission in November 2024.

Next week, a hearing is scheduled at the Royal Courts of Justice.

It will examine whether the land should be designated as contaminated, and, if it is, whether Havering Council will be responsible for what is expected to be a multimillion-pound clean-up, or if the site's owner will have to do it.

Arnolds Field is next to Spring Farm Park, a 16-acre green space that boasts a play area, outdoor gym and tennis courts

A study commissioned by Havering Council that was published in November found a "statistically significant" association between fire incidents and GP attendances for those with long-term respiratory conditions such as asthma and COPD.

At nearby Spring Farm Park, I chat to a number of local people.

Shaun Newton is one of them. He is part of the Launders Lane Crisis Group which has been going for three years.

"We're trying to get the fires stopped, it's as simple as that," he says.

"You can't ignore the fact that there are people with respiratory illness all around Rainham downwind of these fires."

Another local tells me her asthma is so bad she has been given an inhaler that is usually for people with COPD, and yet she has never smoked.

Smoke from Arnolds Field often blows over Donna's back garden

Many residents are angry that Rainham is part of the mayor of London's expanded Ultra Low Emission Zone.

"It's a little bit cheeky that we as an area have now been included in the Ulez and we can't drive older cars because of the 'clean-air policy'," says local resident Donna, who has invited me into her back garden, which looks on to the landfill site.

Gesturing to Arnolds Field, she tells me: "It's important, yes, but why should we be included when we are screaming out for something to be done for that?

"Who do we ask? Because no-one wants to take responsibility."

Shaun Newton says people have been warned not to talk about Arnolds Field

Some residents say they have had threats to stop talking about Arnolds Field. I ask Mr Newton about this.

"They have," he agrees, although he tells me that he hasn't been threatened.

"There are people who have been told there is a bullet waiting for you. Sympathy cards sent to their home addresses. It's trying to intimidate people to stop digging."

Another local, who asks not to be identified, tells me they have been warned to stop talking about Arnolds Field. They tell me the circumstances but ask that I don't report them because it could identify them. They say they don't know who made the threat or why.

Arnolds Field's owner Mr O'Donovan says he has also been intimidated.

"I'm a quiet family man who just gets on with life and tries to help others rather than hinder," he tells me.

"I've had lorries burned out in my yard, also, but no clue as to who, or why this was done."

Mr O'Donovan's business DMC Essex, which has been negotiating over the land's development since buying it in 2017, says the council is "blocking" efforts to clean it up.

A Havering Council spokesperson said: "The council understands the concern of residents and remains committed to finding a solution to the Launders Lane issue.

"We continue to work with partners including the London Fire Brigade to try and find the best way forward. We also attend regular meetings with the local community and publish frequent email newsletters to ensure residents are kept updated as and when new information is available.

"However, this is not council-owned land, so our options are limited. This is a complex issue and we are doing all we can to reach a solution with the landowner."

Mr O'Donovan responded, saying: "We are disappointed with the continuing risk and uncertainty.

"All we wanted to do was improve the site both for the local community, and with our company using some of it to improve our business.

"This would bring jobs to the area and stop the fires once and for all."

Mr Newton looks over the fence from the park to Arnolds Field landfill site

As for exactly what might eventually be discovered under the smouldering surface of Arnolds Field, Mr Newton believes it might be worse even than people imagine.

He says: "If we can ever find out what is buried under there and what is causing the contamination, I'm sure we will all be shocked to the core."