Conservation organisations join forces in an open letter to the Secretary of State in a bid to Rescue Hoad’s Woods

Six conservation organisations have banded together to ask the Secretary of State to approve an immediate clean-up of Hoad’s Wood, near Ashford.

The ancient woodland, which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, fell victim to criminal gangs who used the area to dump tonnes of waste over the precious wildlife habitat. The dumping ground covers acres of woodland and reaches over 12ft high. Concerns have been raised over the health implications of the hazardous waste which is producing hydrogen sulphide gas with toxic leachate seeping into the River Beult, a tributary of the River Medway.

The problem was highlighted in the press in January, with a public meeting, coordinated by the Rescue Hoads Wood Campaign and chaired by MP Damian Green taking place in March. At the meeting, the Environment Agency (EA), who are leading the investigation into the criminality at the site, agreed to clear the site, but as yet no action appears to have been taken.

It is understood the authority must apply to the Secretary of State, Steve Barclay for a government grant to fund the clean-up operation and at present, no update has been given by the EA as to if this has been achieved.

The organisations, made up of Kent Wildlife Trust, CPRE Kent, RSPB, South East Rivers Trust, CLA and the Woodland Trust also call on Mr Barclay to ensure that, in addition to the site clean-up, action is taken to identify and bring to justice the criminals behind the illegality and a further investigation is undertaken to establish the delayed response by the authorities which exasperated the problem.

An extract from the letter reads: “It was painfully clear that the EA prioritised “gathering evidence” over and above the protection of a designated SSSI, using Hoads Wood, the wildlife therein and the local community as acceptable collateral damage. The illegal felling of the trees in preparation for the site in 2020 and the presence of a single digger preparing the site in July 2023, all of which were reported, should have been ample evidence a criminal act had been perpetrated against an SSSI. This should have resulted in an enforcement order that came almost four years too late.”

A spokesperson for the Rescue Hoad’s Wood Campaign said: “Each day the waste remains, the more wildlife is impacted and the greater the health risks to the wider community. We need action and we need it now, I would urge Mr Barclay to use the powers available to him to sort out this mess.

“People can help us by visiting the Rescue Hoad’s Wood website and signing the petition, calling on those with the power to do something, to clean up Hoad’s Wood and ensure that measures are put in place to stop this happening again, here or elsewhere in our country.”

Kent Wildlife Trust’s Area Manager Ian Rickards said: “The impact of this rubbish at Hoad’s Wood is horrendous. The waste is running to the water and it's yellow and stinking. It is then heading downstream, following the ditches and heading off further into Kent, polluting miles and miles and miles of water bodies. Ultimately, it's getting into people's food sources and rivers, into the stream and ultimately into the sea as well. That's going to be affecting aquatic life and it's affecting all of us too.

“Something needs to be done and the site needs to be cleared.”

A number of influential people, including Chris Packham and rights of nature and climate activist Paul Powlesland, have spoken out in support of the Rescue Hoad’s Wood Campaign and called for immediate action. On Thursday, 11th April, ITV Tonight will be featuring the woodland as part of an investigative report.

People can help by signing the Rescue Hoad’s petition.

Read the full letter here.