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The Audio Long Read

The Rainham volcano: a waste dump is constantly on fire in east London. Why will no one stop it?

The Audio Long Read

The Guardian

Society & Culture

4.32.4K Ratings

🗓️ 7 April 2025

⏱️ 39 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Under Arnolds Field, tonnes of illegally dumped waste have been burning for years, spewing pollution over the area. Locals fear for their health – and despair that no one seems willing to help By William Ralston. Read by Sam Swainsbury. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

Transcript

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0:00.0

This is The Guardian.

0:10.1

Welcome to The Guardian long read, showcasing the best long-form journalism covering culture, politics and new thinking.

0:16.8

For the text version of this and all our long reads, go to the Guardian.com forward slash long read.

0:24.8

The Rainham volcano. A waste dump is constantly on fire in East London.

0:29.9

Why will no one stop it?

0:31.4

By William Ralston, read by Sam Swnesbury.

0:50.1

One afternoon in July 2011, an 11-year-old boy named William Nolden was out cycling with friends when he came upon Arnold's field, an expanse of green land in Havering East London.

0:56.2

The site spans about 17 hectares or 24 football pitches, and around its perimeter runs a wooden

1:02.7

fence with two access points through which vehicles can pass. Arnold's Field rises much higher

1:08.9

than the surrounding land. Its surface is lumpy and undulating,

1:13.0

like a blanket thrown over a heap of cuddly toys.

1:16.4

The land is overgrown.

1:18.2

It has been decades since animals grazed there,

1:20.8

and few people have set foot on it in recent years.

1:23.7

But every so often, it is mistaken for a safe place to explore.

1:31.5

As Nolden descended a hill, he lost control and was thrown over the handlebars.

1:37.1

When he came to, he was lying in a small crater and his feet were covered in a powdery residue

1:42.5

that resembled ash.

1:46.5

He felt a sharp pain in his left foot.

1:51.3

When Olden's friends arrived, they removed his shoes and peeled back his socks.

1:55.5

One foot was pink and swollen, the skin blistered and shiny.

1:58.0

The other was blackened and charred.

...

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