Government orders clean-up of tonnes of rubbish dumped at Hoad’s Wood
Drone footage of Hoad's Wood taken by Kent Wildlife Trust
The Secretary of State Steve Barclay has ordered that the Environment Agency must clear tonnes of waste from ancient woodland in Kent.
Conservationists say they are delighted after the clean-up was approved at a Site of Special Scientific Interest that lies buried beneath a mountain of illegally dumped waste.
Organised criminals disposed of tonnes of processed rubbish at the wildlife haven near Ashford.
The site was illegally felled in 2020, and then in July 2023 residents reported lorries dumping truckloads of waste at the Bluebell woodland.
The activity finally stopped in January 2024 when the Environment Agency blocked off the site and imposed an enforcement order preventing access.
Since then, campaigners have been calling for a clean-up of the area, which is estimated to cover around four acres of land and stands up to 25ft high in places.
Wildlife filmmaker and conservationist Richard Taylor-Jones talks of the triumph of today's decision
In April, Kent Wildlife Trust, RSPB, The Woodland Trust, South East Rivers Trust, CPRE Kent, the CLA and the Rescue Hoad’s Wood campaign wrote to the Secretary of State, Steve Barclay asking that he used his powers to release emergency funds to begin an urgent clean-up operation.
Campaigners from the Rescue Hoad’s Wood group, say that contractors have quoted the clean-up operation will cost £10m and today they welcomed the news that emergency funds had been secured to allow the clean-up to take place.
A spokesman for the Rescue Hoad’s Wood campaign said: "We are thrilled to hear that the funding required to clear the 30,000 tonnes of illegally dumped landfill waste from Hoad’s Wood is now approved.
"This marks a significant step forward in our efforts to restore the natural beauty of this ancient bluebell woodland.
"We eagerly anticipate the swift completion of the cleanup operation so the recovery process can commence. Additionally, we also look forward to a comprehensive investigation into local and national authorities’ inaction, which allowed this environmental catastrophe to occur, despite our community’s diligent reporting.
"We hope this will prevent similar incidents in the future, safeguarding treasured sites like Hoad’s Wood.”
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