Mountain of waste that has desecrated beauty spot with rubbish piled 12ft high ... trends now
A historic wildlife haven transformed into a 'disgusting' rubbish tip with mountains of waste piled 12ft high could cost £10m to clean, it has been revealed.
Hoad's Wood in Kent has become a popular spot for illegal dumping of commercial waste - despite signs at the entrance warning fly-tippers they're being watched and will be prosecuted.
The spot is a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) due to the range of birds, insects, and trees that call it home.
However, photographs taken over the last few months show the area now more closely resembles a landfill site rather than a wildlife sanctuary.
The Environment Agency (EA) has been working with Kent Police's rural task force to catch those who dumped the rubbish, but nobody has been charged yet.
Hoad's Wood in Kent has become a popular spot for illegal dumping of commercial waste. Pictured: The site on Friday, April 19
The historic wildlife haven transformed into a 'disgusting' rubbish tip with mountains of waste piled 12ft high could cost £10m to clean
The spot is a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) due to the range of birds, insects, and trees that call it home
And now, the EA believes the clean-up operation could cost up to an eye-watering £10m.
Earlier this month, BBC naturalist and presenter Chris Packham slammed the authorities for allowing the situation to deteriorate and called on the Environment Agency and Natural England to 'sort out' the mess.
Locals say it not only looks terrible - but also smells like 'rotting eggs'.
Oliver Leonard said: 'I had seen dozens of photographs of the mountains of rubbish, but nothing could quite prepare me for what lay hidden amid the trees.
'The stench of rotting eggs filled the atmosphere. I felt like I was being slowly poisoned with each breath.
'It was a nauseating reminder of the illegal activity that has plagued this once-serene woodland.'
One Ashford resident added: 'Honestly, I had never seen anything like it. It's disgusting.
The BBC's Chris Packham (pictured) has slammed the authorities for allowing the situation to deteriorate
The crisis has worsened despite signs at the entrance warning fly-tippers they're being watched and will be prosecuted
Photographs taken over the last few months show the area now more closely resembles a landfill site rather than a wildlife sanctuary
A fridge and other items are left amongst illegally dumped commercial waste
And now, the Environment Agency believes the clean-up operation could cost up to an eye-watering £10m
Contaminated water covers the forest floor amongst illegally dumped waste
A metal container lays amongst the mountain of illegally dumped waste
'I went to view the four acres of land and it was stacked about 12ft high with rubbish.
'I think there are hundreds of
