How fly-tippers turned ancient bluebell woods into ‘wasteland’
THE Environment Agency (EA) has been accused of allowing an ancient bluebell woodland to be buried under garbage from fly-tipping.
Campaigners claim the agency failed to act after receiving reports that up to 30 trucks a day were dumping illegal waste on the beauty spot in Hoads Wood in Ashford, Kent.
The Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) is now said to be an “environmental disaster” in which ancient bluebell woods have become a “desolate wasteland” buried under rubbish which in some areas is 25ft deep, and all despite continuous reporting of fly-tipping.
Residents fear toxic liquid from the site could end up in the river, and also report the “nasty” rotting eggs smell of hydrogen sulphide coming from the waste, which could be harmful to wildlife and the wider community.
The Rescue Hoads Wood campaign group said local people were reporting that trucks were dumping illegal waste to authorities from July 2023, and earlier cases were reported in 2020. One group member, who wished to remain anonymous, said EA action was “too little too late” in closing access to the site on Jan 16. It is understood the agency was notified in August about the waste.
The campaigner said: “They’ve almost let the site fill up to capacity before they shut it off ... they can’t talk about ‘we’re under-resourced, we’re underfunded’ ... there’s at least 20 people I know of that were the bodies on the ground, the eyes and ears telling you that something highly illegal was going on. Yet you chose to leave it, there’s no excuse right?”
They added that surveys now estimate 27,000 tons of waste needs to be cleared from the site, with an estimated budget of £10 million, based on a quote from a contractor.
The agency is currently assessing the risks to nature and the environmental impact of the waste on local air and water quality.
A Rescue Hoads Wood spokesman said: “I’ve even smelled it from my bedroom on one occasion ... it’s a feeling of being poisoned and the only way, when it’s here, that you can escape it is by leaving your property and leaving the area completely.”
A spokesman for Ashford borough council, which is investigating the reports of the odour, said it has been “unable to establish that the issues have crossed the threshold of a statutory nuisance”. It added: “We continue to liaise with the relevant agencies, such as Natural England and the Environment Agency, with reference to plans for addressing the issues.”
A petition by campaigners calling for the immediate clean-up of the woods has more than 6,500 signatures to date.
The Rescue Hoads Wood campaign has also received backing from charities including Kent Wildlife Trust, South East River Trust, the Woodland Trust, as well as television presenter and naturalist Chris Packham.
Sharing a Rescue Hoads Wood video of the waste online, Packham said: “Look at this! It’s an ancient woodland & SSSI ... where is the accountability, where is the law, where is the respect and where is the understanding that we are now fighting tooth and nail for nature and everything matters.
In a letter to Steve Barclay, the Environment Secretary, six charities urged the EA to immediately secure funding to clear the site and restore the woodland. They said: “Despite early alerts, a lack of prompt and effective intervention allowed the situation to deteriorate drastically into an environmental disaster.
“The consequences of this inaction are profound. The accumulation of waste not only poses a significant threat to the area’s biodiversity, undermining the habitat of scarce flora and fauna, but it also adversely affects the mental health and well-being of the nearby community.”
An EA spokesman said it is aware of the impact fly-tipping has on communities and is determined to “keep one step ahead” of the criminals. They added: “That’s why we’re pushing on with investigations into those suspected of illegal tipping of commercial waste at Hoads Wood – with support from Natural England, Forestry Commission, Kent county council and Kent police Rural Task Force.”
‘Despite early alerts, a lack of prompt, effective action allowed a disaster’