by A local community living near an ancient woodland hit by thousands of tonnes of illegally dumped waste is calling on the Environment Agency (EA) to “do the right thing” and get immediate funding to clean up the mess .
Hoad Wood in Ashford, Kent, is a beauty spot designated as a site of special scientific interest, but is now known as an “environmental disaster”.
Campaigners have said the bellwood woodland has been turned into a “wasteland” buried under landfill waste, which is 25ft deep in some areas, despite constant reports to the authorities of illegal disposal.
Campaign group Rescue Hoad’s Wood said local people had been reporting up to 20 to 30 trucks dumping illegal waste a day to authorities since July 2023, with earlier cases of illegal activity reported in 2020.
They added that it is now estimated that 27,000 tonnes of processed waste need to be cleared with additional surveys with an estimated budget of £10 million including taxes and incidentals to cover the costs based on a quote from a local contractor.
A campaigner from Rescue Hoad’s Wood, who wished to remain anonymous, told the PA news agency that the EA acted “too little too late” to close access to the site on 16 January 2024.
It is understood the EA was made aware of the waste in August and began gathering evidence for enforcement action.
The community member said: “They have almost let the site reach its full potential before closing it.
“The whole system is broken. They can’t talk about ‘we’re under-resourced, we’re under-funded’, my answer is that it’s just complete rubbish, because there are at least 20 people I know whose bodies were on the ground, the eyes and ears tell. you that something extremely illegal was going on.
“But you chose to leave it, there’s no excuse right?”
Pictures of the site show the scale of the debris piled up and encroaching on a patch of bells, and there is also blue water floating in the area.
After several public meetings since the EA closed the woodland, the campaigner said residents have given the government body a May 17 deadline to come up with a budget to contract out the work – which could take six months completed.
Meanwhile, residents fear that toxic liquid from the site could end up in the river, and they also report the “nasty” rotten egg smell of toxic gas hydrogen sulphide coming from the waste which harms wildlife and the public in in common.
A Hoadwood Rescue spokesman said: “I even hit him from my bedroom once. Interestingly enough, at the moment, it is not too bad because it is quite sunny. But this is decomposing gypsum and organic matter in the site.
“It’s a feeling of being poisoned. And the only way when he’s here you can get away from him is to leave your property and leave the area completely.”
The EA is currently assessing the risks to nature and the environmental impact of the waste on local air and water quality.
A spokesman for Ashford Borough Council, which is investigating the reports of odor nuisance, said so far “they have not been able to confirm that the issues have exceeded the threshold of statutory nuisance”.
“We continue to engage with the relevant agencies, such as Natural England and the Environment Agency, regarding plans to address the issues on site, and their plans for further monitoring,” he said.
Regarding the calls for a clean-up, the campaigner said: “This is not going to go away. We are going to continue publicly with this and highlight all the shortcomings of the government, the EA and the machinery around it.”
A petition made by the campaign has over 6,500 signatures asking for the woods to be cleared immediately.
The Rescue Hoad’s Wood campaign has also received support from a number of charities including Kent Wildlife Trust, South East River Trust, Woodland Trust and the likes of TV presenter and naturalist Chris Packham.
Sharing a Hoad Salvage video of the waste on X, Mr Packham replied: “Look at this! It is an ancient woodland & SSSI.
“Where is the accountability, where is the law, where is the respect & where is the understanding that we are now fighting tooth & nail for nature & everything related.
“Let’s sort out the Environment Agency and Natural England.”
In a letter to the Environment Secretary, he urged the EA charity to get immediate funding to clean up the site and restore the woodland to its natural state.
They said: “Despite early warnings, a lack of prompt and effective intervention has allowed the situation to deteriorate dramatically into an environmental disaster.
“This lack of action has profound consequences. Not only is the accumulation of waste a significant threat to the area’s biodiversity, undermining the scarce flora and fauna habitat, but it also affects the mental health and well-being of the nearby community.”
An EA spokesperson said they are aware of the impact illegal dumping has on communities and are determined to keep “one step ahead” of the criminals.
They added: “That’s why we are pressing ahead with our investigations against those suspected of illegal commercial waste disposal activities at Hoads Wood – supported by Natural England, the Forestry Commission, the County Council Kent and Kent Police Rural Taskforce.”
