Contractors have finally been appointed to remove more than 35,000 tonnes of illegally dumped waste from a beauty spot that has become a 'desolate wasteland’.

The rubbish has been piled 12ft high across four acres at Hoad’s Wood in Great Chart, Ashford, which has been used as a makeshift tip.

Lorries began illegally tipping truckloads of waste in July 2023 and despite repeated reports by locals, it was not until January the Environment Agency (EA) placed a closure order on the site preventing more waste from being dumped.

Six months ago, the EA was ordered to clear the Site of Special Scientific Interest, by the then Secretary of State, Steve Barclay, with campaigners threatening legal action against the government department in a bid to speed up slipping timelines.

Drone footage shows the extent of the devastation to the woodland, and the damage has been described as an “environmental catastrophe” by campaigners and environmental charities that have been calling for a clean-up.

Locals have reported an “eye-watering” stench coming from the site which can be detected at times indoors, even with window closed.

The Rescue Hoad's Wood campaign has been supported by Kent Wildlife Trust, RSPB, South East Rivers Trust, Woodland Trust, CPRE Kent and the CLA (Country Land and Business Association) who jointly wrote to Mr Barclay, highlighting the plight of the woodland and asking for the waste to be removed.

They received a reply on May 23, just days before the General Election was announced and Mr Barclay confirmed a ministerial direction had been made to clear the site.

Protesters became concerned over the lack of action by the EA to appoint contractors and started crowdfunding to raise enough money to appoint solicitors Leigh Day to write to the government department threatening legal action if the clean up did not begin by October 28.

They also met with MP for the Weald Katie Lam who expressed support for the campaign as did the environmental campaigner and TV Presenter Chris Packham.

Yesterday, the EA wrote to the campaign groups to confirm a contractor has been appointed to clear the site.

However, it was unable to give a timeline of when this will start as “work will need to be carefully planned as there are several matters to take into account before physical clearance can commence”.

An EA spokesperson said: “We are currently arranging to clear the waste from Hoad’s Wood.

“A contractor has recently been appointed and we are working with them to enable essential preparatory work before clearance can commence. We are keeping the local community informed.

“Additionally, a criminal investigation continues in order to bring those who dumped an estimated 30,000 tonnes of waste at Hoads Wood before the courts.”

The EA added that it is determined to retrieve the costs of clearing Hoads Wood from those who dumped it. It should not be the taxpayer who picks up the bill.

The authority will be attending a public meeting hosted by Bethersden Parish Council on Friday, November 22 where it will give further details on the plans and timescales.

It was previously estimated that the cost to clear the tonnes of waste could be between £10 to £15 million with the recent spell of wet weather adding to the weight and cost of the clean-up operation.

A spokesperson for the Rescue Hoad’s Wood Campaign says: “It is encouraging there appears to have been some movement, but the time that this has taken is unacceptable.

“The wildlife in the area has been decimated, water courses polluted with toxic leachate and the “rotten egg” stench of hydrogen sulphide has been detectable, at times, even with windows shut.

“The EA’s delays in acting on the ministerial directive to clear the woods are indicative of the inaction on their part to prevent this disaster in the first place. We are living in hope that this may finally be an end to the misery, to the flora and fauna of Hoad’s Wood and the local community caused by this unchecked, organised criminality.”

Ian Rickards of Kent Wildlife Trust added: “While we are pleased that there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel, Hoad’s Wood has been buried underneath tonnes of waste for a year now.

“The trees around the site are dying and what has happened here is nothing short of an environmental catastrophe.

“We’d urge the Environment Agency not to waste another second and begin this much-needed clean-up immediately.”