Fly-tippers turn beauty spot into landfill site

Fly-tippers have transformed a historic beauty spot into a "disgusting" rubbish tip with mountains of waste piled 12ft high.

Shocking photos of Hoad's Wood in Kent have revealed that the once beautiful wildlife sanctuary now looks like a landfill due to the illegal dumping of rubbish on four acres of the site. The Environment Agency (EA) has launched an investigation and is working with Kent Police's rural task force, Kent County Council and other agencies to catch those responsible.

One local from the nearby town of Ashford said he couldn't believe what he saw when he visited the area. The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: "Honestly, I have never seen anything like it. It's disgusting.

"I went to view the four acres of land and it was stacked about 12ft high with rubbish. I think there are hundreds of thousands of tonnes of litter dumped there. Someone needs to be held responsible for this and people need to be made aware of what is happening in our woods."

Hoad's Wood has become a popular spot for the illegal dumping of commercial waste – despite signs at the entrance of the woods warning that fly-tippers are being watched and will be prosecuted. Piles of waste have accumulated in the woodland area, which is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to the range of birds, insects and trees that call it home.

A variety of birds breed in the wood, including nightingales, woodcocks, nuthatches, great spotted woodpeckers and several kinds of tits and warblers. Moths and butterflies – including two nationally rare species – have also been well-documented in the forest.

The plot was listed for auction with land and property auctioneer Clive Emson but has failed to sell, with an auctioneer admitting there's "a lot of fly-tipping in the area" for which they "do not know who is responsible".

'Appalled and shocked'

Councillor Yolanda Barker, of the Great Chart with Singleton Parish Council (GCwSPC), said she was "appalled" and "shocked" to see what had become of the "cherished" woodland area. She added: "It is disheartening that some individuals find it acceptable to mistreat this cherished land. Hoad's Wood should be respected, not tarnished by unscrupulous actions. The implications are morally reprehensible, posing a substantial cost to the community and causing profound damage to flora and fauna with lasting effects.

“We are pleased that Kent County Council and the Environment Agency are already working on this but hope that it is removed quickly unlike other areas where it has been left as it is too expensive to remove at taxpayer's expense."

The county has become a hotspot for illegal fly-tipping in recent years, with tonnes of rubbish having been dumped on Sheppey Beach, which is also an SSSI.

A spokesperson from the Environment Agency confirmed that a multi-agency investigation was under way into who was dumping the rubbish at Hoad's Wood, which spans around 200 acres in total. "We are leading the ongoing investigation into the alleged illegal tipping of commercial waste at Hoad's Wood with support from Natural England, Forestry Commission, Kent County Council and Kent Police rural task force," the spokesperson said.

Fly-tipping punishments in England

Local authorities in England reported over a million fly-tipping incidents in 2022, according to the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA). These incidents could have resulted in various actions from the council, including investigations, warning letters, fixed penalty notices and criminal prosecutions.

However, an analysis by LoveJunk, a waste removal marketplace, revealed that only a tiny fraction of these incidents led to any punitive action. Out of the 1,091,019 fly-tipping incidents reported in 2022, just one in 100 resulted in a fixed penalty notice that was paid, and only one in 500 resulted in a criminal prosecution.

The amount of the fine or the length of the prison sentence depends on how bad the fly-tipping is. People who dump small amounts of waste may be fined up to £1,000. But those who dump a lot of waste could be taken to court and fined up to £50,000 or even sent to prison.

To stop fly-tipping, the government has taken steps such as increasing enforcement and using cameras to monitor places where people often dump waste. Last year, on-the-spot fines for litter, graffiti and fly-tipping were raised as part of a crackdown on anti-social behaviour.

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