‘Haunted woodland’ under siege by ghostbuster teams
SPREAD across 400 acres of Kentish countryside, the ancient woods of Dering have long been rife with tales of ghosts and ghouls, and are a prime destination for television crews making documentaries about the paranormal.
But the popularity of shows such as Celebrity Haunted Hotel Live and ITV’S Strange But True has forced the Woodland Trust to hire a security firm to deter hundreds of “ghost hunters” who have descended on the woods, leaving destruction in their wake.
The trust has spent £41,000 protecting Dering Woods from the damage caused by visitors pitching camp in the hope of witnessing the apparition of a gipsy woman who accidentally burned herself to death or a schoolmaster who hanged himself.
It has also had to spend £6,000 on clearing litter and debris left behind by ghost hunters who, after spending the night in the woods, abandon their campsites and fires the following day.
The trust, which saved the wood from development when it bought it in 1997, said: “A lot of damage is being done to the habitat, with flowers and bushes being trampled and nocturnal wildlife disturbed.”
For years, people with an interest in the paranormal have visited Dering Woods and nearby Pluckley, said to be the most haunted village in Britain. Its reputation has drawn film crews and documentary makers. Latterly, teams of self-appointed ghost hunters equipped with night cameras and microphones have descended upon the wood, hoping to record ghostly noises or ghoulish apparitions.
Clive Steward, the Woodland Trust’s site manager, said: “We have to employ security guards to evict people from the wood after dark and then we have to break up camps and deal with the damage caused by fires or vandalism.”
Martin Chambers, Pluckley’s Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator, said: “Dormice, bats and badgers are all nocturnal animals which live at Dering. All have European Protected status and are at risk of being disturbed.”
Mr Steward added: “Dering has always attracted ghost hunters due to the noises that come out of the woods. But the screams they hear are nothing more than amorous foxes.”