A council in East London is advancing its initiatives to eliminate ongoing blazes at a previously illegal landfill site.

Arnolds Field, located on Launders Lane and infamously referred to as the Rainham Volcano, was officially classified as contaminated after a judicial review carried out in October. Since 2019, the site has experienced over 100 fires, releasing potentially harmful smoke into neighboring residences.

The Havering Council intends to apply a polymer seal to areas identified as most susceptible to fires, in order to limit the oxygen access that fuels these incidents underground.

According to the council, this measure aims to provide the landowner ample opportunity to devise plans for the site’s development or pursue alternative solutions. Arrangements to select a contractor are expected to be finalized next month.

Council leader Ray Morgon stated, “We are in discussions with the landowner about implementing a temporary intervention before next summer to put an end to the fires until a permanent solution can be established, either through a planning application for development that effectively addresses the issue or other methods.”

The leader of the Havering Residents Association noted that the council’s plan using the polymer seal should “sustain long enough to bridge the gap for the landowner to provide a lasting solution.”

The council will finance this project—though the expenditure details have not been disclosed—and has reached out to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Ministry for Local Government, the Environment Agency, and the Greater London Authority to assist with funding.

Previously, the council indicated that any “significant” interventions necessary to extinguish the fires might take between three to seven years to complete.

“Regardless of the final outcome, we are doing everything we can to expedite the process so that residents do not have to endure this situation again,” Mr. Morgon remarked.

In June, the High Court determined that the council had acted unlawfully by failing to classify the land as contaminated, following a protracted legal effort led by Clean the Air Havering.

Between 2002 and 2014, Arnolds Field became notorious for substantial fly-tipping, illegal firearm storage, and drug production activities. The council attributed the persistent fires and smoke to the vast amounts of illegally dumped waste coupled with a lack of management oversight at the site.