CLA welcomes arrests over Hoads Wood mass fly-tip
Three men arrested over large-scale, illegal tipping of waste at SSSI
The CLA has welcomed the arrest of three men in connection with the dumping of 30,000 tons of waste in an ancient woodland.
Environment Agency enforcement officers, Kent Police and the Joint Unit for Waste Crime made the arrests as part of an investigation into the large-scale, illegal tipping of waste at the Hoads Wood Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Ashford, Kent.
Two of the individuals – aged 44 and 62 – are from the Isle of Sheppey, while the third, aged 41, resides near Sittingbourne. All three have been interviewed, and evidence obtained during the arrests will support the next stages of the investigation.
The Environment Agency began a criminal investigation in 2023 after 30,000 tonnes of household and construction waste, piled 15 feet high in places, was discovered to have been dumped throughout Hoads Wood.
It has finally now appointed a specialist company to remove the waste and help return the site to its former state.
'One of the worst incidents'
The CLA is a member of the Rescue Hoads Wood campaign.
Tim Bamford, regional director of CLA South East, said: "We welcome these arrests in connection with one of the worst fly-tipping incidents ever seen in Kent.
"Fly-tipping and the dumping of waste on a mass scale have a huge impact on the environment, farming and our natural landscapes, and the CLA has great sympathy with Hoad’s Wood.
"This precious site needs to be cleaned up as quickly as possible, with those responsible facing the full force of the law."
If you have any information that may assist with this investigation, please call the 24-hour hotline on 0800 807060. Or report anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 or the Crimestoppers website.