Illegal waste could remain in woodland until 2026

Campaigners have called the situation at Hoads Wood an "environmental catastrophe"

Work to clear up to 35,000 tonnes of illegally dumped waste from a Kent woodland will not start until next year, the BBC understands.

Campaigners welcomed the news earlier this month that the Environment Agency (EA) had finally appointed a contractor to clear the rubbish from Hoads Wood, near Ashford.

The EA explained on Thursday that surveying and sampling at the site had already begun.

But the BBC has been told that work to remove the waste will not start until 2025 and is expected to take roughly one year to complete.

• The path ahead for Hoads Wood

Illegal dumping of waste on a commercial scale at Hoads Wood was at its peak last summer, with between 20 and 30 lorries dumping waste at the site each day.

The waste is 4m (13.1ft) high in places

The entrance to the woodland was shut in January, but local people criticised the EA for a "lack of action".

Matt Higginson, from the EA, told BBC South East: "We've already started some works on site [and] we've got more surveying works that are happening in the next couple of weeks.

"We've got some sampling works where people will start to see more work happening from there.

"It's a really complex project that we've got to do. We've got to manage the health and safety, and the ecological impact with the site to make sure that we don't cause any more damage."

The EA is attending a public meeting at Bethersden Village Hall on Friday, where it will give a full update on the timeline of works.