A mountain of rubbish has finally been cleared from the Waste4Fuel site in St Paul’s Cray.

Since work began in November 2016, 27,000 tonnes of rubbish has been removed.

The pile of rubbish in Cornwall Drive frequently frequently caught fire and was described as a "living nightmare" by residents.

Leader of Bromley Council, Councillor Colin Smith said: “This day clearly belongs to our long-suffering local residents who have been so incredibly patient, trustful and supportive of the council throughout this difficult and complex process.

“To have delivered on our promise to get the site cleared for everyone has been a tremendous team effort all round and we share their delight.

“Although there is still work to do on site, we can now look forward with optimism and work though the various ideas that have been raised for the site’s future, listening very carefully to what residents say, recognising the importance of its green belt status.”

This drone video from 2014 shows the scale of the trash pile that residents living near Waste4Fuel had to put up with

The works were delayed after contaminated waste was found at the bottom of the pile.

Bromley Council worked with the Environment Agency to finally get rid of the mountain of rubbish.

Area manager for the Environment Agency Julie Foley said: “We understand how frustrating the situation has been for residents and thank them for their patience.

“We have worked hard with London Borough of Bromley and Veolia to get the site cleared, whilst helping to ensure there is no impact on the environment and local people.

“It had taken a long time to get to this point, but we and London Borough of Bromley have had to overcome a number of difficult funding, legal and technical problems.

“We had to make sure that the site was cleared but most importantly that we had to make sure it could never become a waste site again.”

News Shopper has been reporting on Waste4fuel site for over six years. Here is a timeline of the site and its infamous rubbish pile: 

2011: The site was on fire for three days which led to nearby Sevenoaks Way to be closed.

2013: Repeated fires plague the site, including the longest fire in Bromley’s history.

2014: Waste4fuel’s owners were prosecuted and fined for stacking flammable material in an illegal manner. 

2016: Bromley Council and the Environment Agency will spend around £2.7million to acquire the site. Work begins to get it cleaned up.

2017:  Work to shift the 27,000 tonne pile of rubbish is finished.