Environment Agency told to clear Hoads Wood waste

Trees were felled to make way for the illegal waste

The Environment Agency has been ordered by the government to clear thousands of tonnes of illegally dumped waste from a Kent woodland.

Campaigners have been calling for the site in Hoads Wood near Ashford - a Site of Special Scientific Interest - to be cleared ever since the Environment Agency closed its entrance in January.

Steve Barclay, Secretary of State for the Environment, ordered the Environment Agency (EA) to provide a "written update" every two weeks and told it to "continue to provide such updates until all of the waste is cleared".

Philip Duffy, chief executive of the EA, said in a letter to Mr Barclay that the cost would be "higher than first estimated" and recommended "making £15m available".

The cost of the clearance is now estimated to be £15 million - up from £10 million, in part due to the potential presence of hazardous waste.

Mr Duffy added that health and safety risks, access issues, and "securing the site to prevent further dumping once works are completed" added to the cost.

30,000 tonnes of waste

Mr Duffy said the only option he has to fund the clearance will have an impact on the floods capital programme “including a potential reduction in investment in flood protection".

"We would seek to manage this through programme slippage," he added.

It is estimated there are around 30,000 tonnes of waste to clear from the two-acre site. In some areas the waste is up to 4m (13.1ft) deep.

Entrance to the site was blocked by the Environment Agency in January

Campaigners 'thrilled'

A spokesman for the Rescue Hoads Wood campaign said he was "thrilled to hear that the funding required to clear the 30,000 tonnes of illegally dumped landfill waste from Hoads Wood is now approved". 

He added: "This marks a significant step forward in our efforts to restore the natural beauty of this ancient bluebell woodland. 

"We eagerly anticipate the swift completion of the clean up operation so the recovery process can commence."

Ian Rickards, area manager for Kent Wildlife Trust, one of the charities supporting the campaign, said the news was "positive" and hopes it is "followed up by immediate and effective action".

He added: "I won’t go as far as to say this is a win for nature, as what has happened in this woodland is devastating, but it is the first step towards seeing the recovery of Hoads Wood.”

The expectation is that the waste will take more than six months to clear, with an aim that the work should be finished by early next year.

The EA said the site at Hoads Wood is suspected to be linked to other illegal commercial waste sites across the county and linked to an organised crime group that operates in Kent and further afield.