TalkTV crew at Hoad’s Wood, near Ashford, spots lorry with no number plates amid Environment Agency probe into waste dumping
A lorry with no number plates was caught on camera this morning approaching a woodland which has been turned into a wasteland. KentOnline[1] revealed on Sunday how the Environment Agency (EA) is leading an investigation into litter being piled 12ft high[2] across about four acres in Hoad’s Wood, off Bethersden Road, Ashford[3].
A lorry driver with no number plates was caught on camera by TalkTV at Hoad’s Wood, off Bethersden Road, Ashford. Picture: Talk Today/TalkTV
Since then, several national news outlets have followed up the story and TalkTV paid a visit to the site today. During their recording at the wildlife haven, a lorry was filmed turning into the land in Hoad’s Wood.
However, according to TalkTV, the lorry driver turned the vehicle around after seeing the camera crews.
The woodland has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to the range of birds, insects and trees it is home to. A sign at the entrance to the section of wood warns that fly-tippers are being watched and will be prosecuted.
Rubbish is piled 12ft high across acres of Hoad’s Wood, near Ashford
The EA is working with Kent Police’s rural task force, Kent County Council and other agencies in its probe into the “alleged illegal tipping of commercial waste”. One Ashford resident previously described the site as “disgusting”.
He told KentOnline: “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. “Honestly, I have never seen anything like it.”
A resident who shared pictures with KentOnline said the waste covers an area of four acres in Hoad’s Wood
Moths and butterflies have been well documented in the forest, including two nationally rare species. A variety of birds breed in the wood, including nightingales, woodcocks, nuthatches, great spotted woodpeckers and several kinds of tits and warblers.
Cllr Yolanda Barker, of Great Chart with Singleton Parish Council, told KentOnline she “hopes the litter is removed quickly”.
“The council is appalled by this shocking sight,” she said. “It is disheartening that some individuals find it acceptable to mistreat this cherished land. Hoads Wood should be respected, not tarnished by unscrupulous actions.
Cllr Yolanda Barker says she “hopes the litter is removed quickly” from Hoad’s Wood
“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.”
In 2020, concerns were raised over giant oak trees being felled[4] in another part of Hoad’s Wood, which in total is about 200 acres in size.
Hoad’s Wood is also where the body of 33-year-old Sarah Everard, murdered by Met Police officer Wayne Couzens, from Deal, was found in 2021[5].
A SSSI in Great Britain is a conservation designation denoting a protected area.
References
- ^ KentOnline (www.kentonline.co.uk)
- ^ the Environment Agency (EA) is leading an investigation into litter being piled 12ft high (www.kentonline.co.uk)
- ^ Ashford (www.kentonline.co.uk)
- ^ giant oak trees being felled (www.kentonline.co.uk)
- ^ found in 2021 (www.kentonline.co.uk)