Contractors appointed to clear Hoads Wood waste

The Environment Agency has hired contractors to clear up waste dumped at the Kent woodland

Contractors who will clear up 35,000 tonnes of dumped waste from a Kent woodland have been appointed.

The waste from illegal fly-tipping in Hoads Wood, near Ashford, covers a 100x60m area and is 4m deep in some spots.

Campaigners had threatened the Environment Agency with legal action in August unless they urgently cleared the site following a ministerial directive in May.

The Kent Wildlife Trust welcomed the EA appointing the contractors, but described the tipping as an "environmental catastrophe".

The charity's Ian Rickards said: “Whilst we are pleased that there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel, Hoads Wood has been buried underneath tonnes of waste for a year now."

Campaign group Rescue Hoads Wood say the problem began to escalate in 2020, and at the height of the problem in July last year, 20 to 30 trucks of waste a day were being dumped.

The EA locked the entrance to the tip in January, but campaigners crowd funded to appoint solicitors after becoming frustrated with the "apparent lack of action".

Campaigners fear the 30,000 tonnes of waste is an 'environmental catastrophe'

An EA spokesperson said: “We are currently arranging to clear the waste from Hoads Wood.

"A contractor has recently been appointed and we are working with them to enable essential preparatory work before clearance can commence. We are keeping the local community informed."

The agency will be providing further plans and timelines at a Bethersden Parish Council meeting on 22 November.

The cost of clearing up the waste was estimated to be £15m, and campaigners are concerned this could increase due to the recent wet weather.

The EA intends to recoup the costs from fly-tippers.

A criminal investigation into who dumped the waste is ongoing.