Bromley Council and the Environment Agency will spend around £2.7million to secure ownership and clearance of the rotting mountain of rubbish that is Waste4Fuel in St Paul’s Cray.

The 40ft high pile of waste is finally set to be cleared following years of misery for residents living nearby, after Bromley Council secured a land deal for the site in Cornwall Drive.

Today the full extent of the figures behind the deal have been revealed, with £2.4m coming from the environment agency and £300,000 from Bromley Council to secure ownership of the access road and land itself, as well as fund the clearance.

Subject to the contract and legal conditions being finalised, the council said it is set to acquire the site over the next few weeks at which point planning can begin to clear the dump.

Resident Jan Watkins, 60, who lives in Sevenoaks Way, described the news as “very positive” but said she remains wary until clearance begins.

She told News Shopper: “We have been waiting for it for this for a long time.

“But they haven’t signed on the dotted line yet so I’ll believe it when it’s happened.

“Everybody’s a little bit sceptical about it. It’s been a long time coming.”

News Shopper:

Residents living near the Waste4Fuel rubbish dump.

Residents who live in the shadow of the towering dump have repeatedly told of the “absolute hell” that is Waste4Fuel.

The company’s licence was revoked almost two years ago, but the stinking pile has remained due to a number of legal disputes.

Last August News Shopper revealed that Waste4Fuel had cost London Fire Brigade almost £1m, because the hazardous rubbish frequently sets itself on fire.

Ms Watkins said the described the cost paid by the council and the environment agency as “absolutely staggering”.

“Especially when you consider how much it has cost just to maintain the status quo,” she added.

She said those behind Waste4Fuel, and those who failed to act despite residents’ repeated concerns, should be held to account.

News Shopper:

The shameful Waste4Fuel site in Cornwall Drive.

Councillor Colin Smith, deputy leader of Bromley Council, said they are “tantalisingly close” to owning the site after ongoing meetings with everyone from residents to ministers of state.

He said: “I have said many times, over many months, that Bromley Council would stand by long suffering local residents and get this disgusting heap of rubbish removed.

“I am absolutely delighted for them all, that we now seem to be on the very cusp of achieving that goal.

“There is work still to do, but once completed, we will then be able to state with absolute certainty that the site will never again be used in this way.”