Three men have been arrested in connection with thousands of tonnes of illegal waste dumped in an beauty spot in Kent.
Hoad’s Wood, an ancient woodland in Ashford was described as an “environmental disaster” by locals after it was buried under landfill waste.
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The wood, which is a designated site of special scientific interest, has a vast of birds, insects and trees.
Two of the suspects, aged 44 and 62, are from the Isle of Sheppey, while the third, aged 41, is from Sittingbourne, the Environment Agency said. All three men have been interviewed.
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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 dumped.
A court order has been secured banning unauthorised access to the wood, and a specialist firm has been hired to remove the waste.
Authorities will monitor the site for any effect on air or water quality.
The Environment Agency’s Simon Hawkins said: “The dumping of thousands of tonnes of waste at Hoad’s Wood in 2023 was a flagrant act of vandalism – with horrendous consequences for the local community and environment.
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“The Environment Agency and Kent Police have been working tirelessly to uncover the identity of those responsible and bring them to justice, and to take the fight to organised criminal networks.
“The arrest of three individuals yesterday is a major step forward for our investigation and should bring some comfort to residents whose lives have been upended by this crime.”
Sergeant Darren Walshaw, of Kent Police, said: “Fly-tipping and environmental crime is a blight on Kent’s beautiful landscape and we are committed to supporting the Environment Agency in its ongoing efforts to bring those responsible to justice.
“People who thoughtlessly dump large volumes of waste are often linked to other forms of criminal activity and their illegal acts must not be tolerated.”
Last year, the Rescue Hoad’s Wood campaign group said local people were reporting up to 20-30 trucks dumping illegal waste a day to authorities from July 2023, and earlier cases of illegal activity were reported in 2020.
Pictures of the site show the scale of the rubbish mounted up and encroaching on a patch of bluebells, while blue water also swamps the area.
The campaign received backing from a number of charities including Kent Wildlife Trust, South East River Trust, the Woodland Trust and the likes of TV presenter and naturalist Chris Packham.
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