Rainham councillor slams Havering Council over fires response

Sue Ospreay, Havering Residents Association (HRA) councillor for Rainham and Wennington, on Monday (July 11) said she had seen “snails move faster” than Havering Council and urged the administration to find a solution with the Arnolds Field, Launders Lane landowner.

Smoke from fires at the Arnolds Field rubbish dump has regularly been seen in recent years and the London Fire Brigade revealed it attended more than 70 blazes there from 2018 to 2022.

“I feel like I am smashing my head against a brick wall,” Cllr Ospreay said. 

“Since 2017, he [the landowner] has been trying to communicate with the administration to try and solve the problem.

“I have not seen any other solutions from anywhere else whatsoever."

RELATED NEWS: Fire brigade publishes report into Wennington wildfire

Jeremiah O’Donovan and Finbarr McMachon, whose company DMC Essex bought the land in 2017, have previously accused the council of “blocking” their offers to clear up the land.

In a statement provided today (July 14), Cllr Morgon said the council was working hard to resolve the problem with Mr O’Donovan.

“To say we are not taking any action and have not included or met with the landowner is completely untrue,” he said.

“As we have stated a number of times, this is privately owned land and is a complex issue and we are doing all we can to reach a solution.”

Cllr Ospreay felt that the landowner has been unfairly criticised and deserved a fair return on his investment.

I feel like I am smashing my head against a brick wall: Cllr Ospreay on the speed of progress at Launders Lane. (Image: Havering Council)

She believes the landowner has been "villainised" on social media.

Cllr Morgon said further meetings are planned with the landowner, but time was needed to install more air monitoring equipment and carry out tests to determine what lies under the soil.

He added that the council was working with the NHS to analyse health data.