Believe it! Some progress is made at Hoad’s Wood

It’s not as quick as many would have liked, but positive things are finally happening at Hoad’s Wood, the site near Bethersden blighted by some 30,000 tonnes of illegally-dumped landfill.

The road running past the entrance to the wood has been closed as a prelude to the clearance of the site, which is being overseen by the Environment Agency. It is hoped removal of the waste will begin in May, but it might not be completed until summer next year at a cost of up to £15 million.

The first stage of the process also involves turning an existing track in the wood into a road to enable the removal.

In November, the EA won a Restriction Order extension from Folkestone Magistrates Court for the part of the wood that had been targeted. The order forbids anyone from entering that part without written permission from the EA – anyone who defies it could be prosecuted.

With approval from Natural England (Hoad’s Wood is a Site of Special Scientific Interest), the EA commissioned a topographic survey of the waste, access track and field opposite the entrance gate. This allowed the agency to gain the information necessary to secure the consents and licences needed to operate and remove the waste legally.

The survey involved the EA’s contractor Acumen taking 42 waste samples from 14 trial pits down to a depth of four metres. Preliminary results included the detection of hazardous waste in seven of the 42 samples – this was due to elevated levels of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH).

The EA said this was not unexpected and Acumen could continue to plan for the waste removal as per its proposals. Asbestos was found in trace amounts in two locations but below the thresholds for hazardous-waste classification.

• To learn more about Hoad’s Wood, click here