Calls for clean-up of 'illegal' Kent waste tip

The entrance to the illegal waste site, now blocked by concrete

Conservation groups are calling for an area of ancient woodland in Kent, “devastated” by vast quantities of “illegal” waste, to be cleaned up.

Residents living close to the site at Hoads Wood near Ashford said the worst of the dumping started in July 2023 when dozens of grab lorries would tip waste every day.

It continued until January this year, they said, when the Environment Agency closed the tip down.

The Environment Agency said it was leading an ongoing investigation into the alleged illegal tipping of commercial waste at the site.

The damage has been "devastating", Kent Wildlife Trust says

David Mairs from countryside charity CPRE Kent said: “It’s a Site of Special Scientific Interest. It’s got designation. It’s got protection. Just get this stuff cleaned."

Residents and conservation groups said they are due to be meeting with the Environment Agency, Kent Police, Ashford Borough Council and Kent County Council on Friday to try to find out who will clean it up and when.

The woodland affected is divided into about a dozen plots and there are a number of owners.

Ian Rickards of Kent Wildlife Trust, which has a nature reserve nearby said: “It is an ancient woodland so it would have been woodland untouched for anything major for hundreds of years.

“The damage from this is devastating. The ground flora, the fungi, the mycorrhizal fungi, the trees, the species living in it, all will be destroyed, devastated.”

Ian Rickards from Kent Wildlife Trust says it is 'devastating'

An Environment Agency spokesperson said the investigation was being supported by Natural England, the Forestry Commission, Kent County Council and Kent Police Rural Task Force.

“We are initially targeting those who deposited the waste to clear the site, and we are investigating a number of individuals and companies," they added.

“We are also assessing the nature, volume and potential environmental impact of the waste on local air and water quality.”