Court order issued to stop illegal waste dumping

A copy of the order has been placed at the entrance of the site near Canterbury

The Environment Agency has blocked access to a site near Canterbury to prevent "organised" illegal waste dumping.

A court order has been issued prohibiting anyone from entering or depositing waste at the site on the north west side of Swanton Lane, near Littlebourne.

The agency said the order was obtained at Maidstone Magistrates' Court.

Matt Higginson, area environment manager, described the dumping as "appalling".

Entry to the site has now been blocked, with a copy of the court order attached to the entrance.

Mr Higginson told the BBC: "It's not opportunistic one-off dumping.

"These people are organised in order to do this."

He said such actions "can have really serious impacts on the environment".

The Environment Agency is trying to prevent the illegal dumping of commercial waste at the site

The order, made under the Environment Act, means that anyone entering the land without reasonable excuse or written permission, or found tampering with the lock or notice, will be committing a criminal offence.

Mr Higginson said the agency had a "regular presence" at the site "to disrupt the illegal dumping of waste".

The Environment Agency's powers to stop waste crime include prosecuting those it believes are dumping waste illegally, which can lead to prison sentences.

It can also use court orders to close sites.

The Swanton Lane site is the third site the agency has restriction orders in force in Kent.

Restrictions are also in place at a site in Hoads Wood, near Ashford, and at Eastchurch Gap, on the Isle of Sheppey.