DUMPING GROUND follows Chief Inspector Gerald Sinclair and his team as they try to find answers to the more serious crimes that seem to happen daily. Problems start at Cliffe Marsh, which borders London and is set on the banks of the Thames, where the remains of an old Victorian fort stands, guarding the approaches to London. Local children are racing their bicycles, dodging around the many ponds on the marsh. Charlie's foot slips off his pedal, and he falls. His 8-year-old friend, David, swerves to miss him and rides his bicycle straight into a deep pond. His friends cannot reach him, and David cannot swim, so his friends start shouting. Two fields away, the local bird warden and some twitchers hear the calls for help and run towards the children, who are screaming and waving their arms. The bird warden reaches the pond first and jumps in, saving the young boy. A twitcher has called emergency services, and parents from the village of Cliffe and the boy goes to the hospital in an ambulance with his mum. The father wants to retrieve his son's bicycle from the pond, and the fire crew agree to help. On their third attempt, they pull up a body.