Hazardous waste among 30,000 tonnes of rubbish dumped in woods linked to organised crime
A monumental clean-up operation has commenced in Kent to remove 30,000 tonnes of hazardous waste illegally dumped in a woodland in Kent.
The extensive effort at Hoad's Wood in Ashford, coordinated by the Environment Agency, is expected to take a year to complete.
The vast quantities of harmful material, which first appeared in 2023, a re piled up to 15ft high in some areas of the woodland.
Much of the discarded refuse, comprising household and construction waste, had already undergone mechanical treatment, with the Environment Agency noting "pockets of hazardous waste" within the mounds.
The illegal dumping has prompted a significant criminal investigation, with three arrests made in February this year.
Authorities are pursuing a "significant number" of lines of inquiry as they continue to probe the organised crime links behind the environmental devastation.
This week marked the loading of the first lorries with the contaminated material, destined for safe disposal facilities, signalling the start of the extensive removal process.
Emma Viner, enforcement and investigations manager at the Environment Agency, said: 'Today marks an important step in the journey of bringing Hoad's Wood back as a sanctuary for both wildlife and people.'
The clean-up operation is reportedly expected to cost up to £15 million.
Hoad's Wood has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest by Natural England and is home to rare plants and wildlife which may struggle to recover after the waste is removed.
Ian Rickards, area manager at Kent Wildlife Trust, told the PA news agency: 'The habitat that's there is destroyed and lost but … it is possible to create a habitat within there which will work with the woodland and have some benefit to wildlife.'
So far 170 trees have had to be cut down because of the polluted soil at the site.
Mr Rickards said that buzzards, foxes, badgers and deer, along with fungi, wild flowers and invertebrates, have all suffered from the illegal dumping.
He continued: 'There's only one direction to go really from this, you can't … it shouldn't really be able to get any worse, hopefully lessons have been learnt because what would (be) worse is if this happens somewhere else.'
Nature minister Mary Creagh said the Government is 'determined' to crack down on waste criminals.
The lorries which began their work this week are likely to keep running until Christmas.
After Christmas, the Environment Agency and contracted waste services company, Acumen, will assess how much of the perimeter of the site has also been damaged.
There was concern amongst workers as to what will happen to the site when the clean-up is finished and the agency's court order allowing them to control the site expires.
Ms Viner said: 'The Environment Agency aren't the landowners here at Hoad's Wood but we are supporting conversations between different parties to look at the future.
'So, we're not just going to walk away, we are involved in supporting those conversations and will be going forward.'
Mr Rickards said he was concerned that the Environment Agency could walk away from the site without setting a clear path for its future.
'I'm hoping the Environment Agency and the other agencies' goal here is to restore this woodland as best as possible,' he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
21 minutes ago
- The Sun
Three men escape from prison at same time as cops launch manhunt and warn ‘do not approach them'
THREE lags have escaped from jail with police launching an urgent manhunt to capture them. Jason MacDonagh, 34, Daniel Harty, 34 and Barney Casey, 24, all escaped from HMP Springhill on Monday, June 23. Police have warned that the three escaped lags could be dangerous and warned the public not to approach them. MacDonagh is described as a white man, at around 5ft 9ins tall, of medium build and has ginger hair. He has facial hair and was last seen wearing grey tracksuit trousers and a white vest. Casey is a white man, at around 5ft 9ins tall, of small build and has black hair. He has slight facial hair and a moustache and goatee beard. He was last seen wearing a grey tracksuit. Harty is a white man, at around 5ft 9ins tall, of slim build with black hair and a black beard. He was last seen wearing a blue jacket and grey joggers. Police staff investigator, Claire Busby said: 'We are appealing to the public for any information around MacDonagh, Casey and Harty's whereabouts, or anyone who may see them to get in touch. 'We would advise members of the public not to approach them if, but call 999 instead. 'If you have any information as to where they may be, you can call 101 or make a report online, quoting 43250312586. 'Alternatively, if you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact the independent charity, Crimestoppers, on 0800 555 111.' 3
The Independent
30 minutes ago
- The Independent
Peter Fleming amazed to hear stolen Wimbledon medals were recovered by mudlark
Peter Fleming thought the Wimbledon medals he won during a famous doubles partnership with John McEnroe were lost forever when they were stolen in a robbery at his home. But months later the American was astonished to discover they had been found by a mudlarker on the banks of the Thames in tennis' own true crime story. The medals form part of a new exhibition, Secrets of the Thames, at London Museum Docklands, which features objects found through mudlarking – the historic practice of scouring the foreshore at low tide for artefacts. Fleming, who won four Wimbledon men's doubles titles with McEnroe in the 1970s and 80s and three US Open crowns, told the unusual tale to the PA news agency. 'I had just moved into a new flat in Wimbledon and for some reason I thought I didn't need to double lock my door because it was a secure building so I just pulled it shut and went out to play golf,' said the 70-year-old, a well-known face as a TV pundit. 'I came back about six hours later and my place had been ransacked. They stole a bunch of stuff. It's a horrible feeling when you get burgled, you feel like you've been violated or something. 'I had nine Wimbledon medals. You get to the semi-finals and they give you a medal: bronze, silver or gold. 'Apparently the guys who stole my stuff just drove down Putney High Street and anything that had a name on it they threw in the river. 'Six months later, somebody contacts me somehow, they first contacted the club I think. A couple of the medals were in perfect condition, a couple of them were all green. 'It was just such a freak occurrence. I thought they were gone. It was a real surprise to hear somebody say, 'we've got your medals'.' Mudlarks need a permit to search the banks of the Thames, and a condition of the permit is that all objects of historical interest must be reported to London Museum. 'The mudlark in question who found the medals, he was used to coming in and reporting his finds to us,' said museum curator Kate Sumnall. 'It's written on the medals what they are so he brought them in and said, 'I've just found this group of medals all together on the same stretch of the foreshore, what do we do next?' 'We had a look at them, reached out to Peter Fleming and we were able to reunite the medals with Peter but also to hear the story of how Peter had unfortunately suffered from a burglary. 'We know that there's so much stolen property that ends up in the river, there's people's purses, wallets, jewellery, bags, that are just dumped in the river and it's rare that we can find the owner's name, and then to trace them and reunite them is a really special thing.' Among the other objects on display in the exhibition – which runs until March 1, 2026 – are the barrels from a sawn-off shotgun, a dagger that dates back to the 1500s, a ball and chain, and weighted gamblers' dice. Sumnall added of Fleming's medals: 'He was very generous with lending them to us and we're very pleased because they're one of the few contemporary objects we have on display, and it's lovely to have that connection with such an iconic sport and the Wimbledon Championships, and of course such a well-known name as Peter.'
Telegraph
36 minutes ago
- Telegraph
John Hunt: I talk to my murdered family every day
BBC racing commentator John Hunt has said he talks to his murdered family every day. In an interview alongside his surviving daughter Amy, the pundit described how he still lives in the house where his wife and two daughters were killed by Kyle Clifford. The pair criticised the justice system for 'prioritising' the crossbow killer over the Hunt family by not making him attend his sentencing. Clifford murdered his former girlfriend Louise Hunt, 25, her mother Carol, 61, and her sister Hannah, 28, on July 9 2024. Speaking to the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire, Mr Hunt said: 'From the moment I wake up, I say good morning to each of them. 'Sometimes I say out loud to Hannah and Louise, 'Girls, sorry I can't be with you, I'm with your mum at the moment'. As I close my eyes at night, I chat to them as well. They're very close to me all the time.' Amy, the eldest of the three children, took aim at the justice system after the former soldier's absence from sentencing spared him from hearing the judge's damning remarks. 'It's consistently a system that prioritises the perpetrator. That's a traumatising thing for so many people,' she said. The judge described Clifford as a 'jealous man soaked in self pity, who holds women in utter contempt' and handed down three whole-life orders. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it has apologised and has the 'utmost admiration for the Hunt family, who had the strength and courage to attend court every day and hear first-hand the devastating truth of what happened to Carol, Louise and Hannah'. A spokesman added: 'At the request of the judge during the first hearing of Kyle Clifford, we provided initial details of the prosecution's case. 'We apologised to the Hunt family for the level of detail outlined at that stage and continued to meet with them throughout the criminal justice process.' During the interview, denied there were any early signs of abuse in Clifford's relationship with Louise. 'At the point of Louise ending [the relationship], there was absolutely evidence that he had turned out not to be a nice person,' Amy said. 'But I want to put it very bluntly now. Did we have any indication that this man was capable of stabbing my mother, of tying Louise up, of raping Louise, of shooting Louise and shooting Hannah? Absolutely not.' At Cambridge Crown Court, the judge said: 'The evidence I have heard shows you to be a jealous man soaked in self-pity, a man who holds women in utter contempt. 'This is no occasion to subject family and friends of your victims to any delay or suspense. 'I therefore make clear at once that for each of these three murders, the sentence will be one of life imprisonment with a whole-life order. 'That means a sentence from which you will never be released.' Mr Hunt and Amy both delivered statements to the court in Clifford's absence. The BBC racing commentator addressed Clifford at Cambridge Crown Court, saying he could faintly hear the 'screams of hell', which said 'they're going to roll the red carpet out for you'. Amy also directed her words at the killer, telling the court: 'Kyle, plainly the Hunt family are human and you are not.' The pair hugged loved ones as the sentence was passed. Louise, Carol and Hannah, and was later convicted of raping Louise in a 'violent, sexual act of spite'.
