A council “doesn’t have the resources” to deal with an illegal dumping “scandal” that’s seen tonnes of waste fly-tipped onto beaches, an MP has said.

Conservative MP for Sheppey and Sittingbourne, Gordon Henderson, believes the huge amount of rubbish littering several beaches across the Isle of Sheppey is because of the Environment Agency’s (EA) delay in putting a stop to trucks depositing waste onto a site in Eastchurch, at the end of Third Avenue, known locally as Eastchurch Gap.

In June 2023, after a three-year fight, the EA finally blocked access to the site with a court order prohibiting anyone from entering or depositing waste there.

Mr Henderson says he is satisfied the dumping has stopped, but claims the damage would have been less if the EA acted upon his and the local authority's concerns quicker.

He said: “I live in Warden Road, in Eastchurch, so I witnessed the dumping, the dumper lorries, up to 50 a day, going up through the village and causing chaos.

“We're still suffering from the shocking state of the roads and the pavements where the lorries were abusing the road.

“The after-effects of the dumping from Third Avenue, where they were dumping general waste, is still being washed up on the beach at Shellness, Warden and as far away as Minster.”

Mr Henderson said that as far as he is aware dumping has ceased and the court order is doing its job but those in the area must stay vigilant.

He continued: “Eastchurch Parish Council has been heavily involved in this and trying to get it stopped and I commend them for the work they did but we've got to be on our guard because the court order was only for six months.

“That's been renewed for another six months, so we've got to be on our guard in the future, and I can assure my constituents that I will immediately contact the Environment Agency and take action again should it reoccur.

“We are still suffering the effects of what happened before and one way or another we've got to try and ensure we get that cleaned up as quickly as possible and I very much hope the Environment Agency or Swale council can come up with an answer to that particular problem.

“Swale council and the Environment Agency are responsible for the clean up but with the best will in the world, undertaking that is a mammoth task, and I'm pretty sure Swale council haven't got the resources to be able to do that.

“Whether the Environment Agency can do that is a matter for them.”

The EA was contacted for comment and was asked why it took three years to get a court order to stop the illegal dumping at Eastchurch Gap.

The organisation was also asked about its plans for a clean-up at the site.

A spokesman said: “Waste crime harms the environment, and we know it has a devastating effect on communities. That is why we recently obtained a court order to prevent access and more waste from being tipped on land at Eastchurch Gap.

“The Environment Agency continues its criminal investigation into alleged waste crime, gathering evidence and working with Kent Police and other agencies across Swale. This includes regular site visits, and we continue to keep all enforcement options under constant review.

“We urge anyone with new concerns about the handling of waste in the area to contact us immediately on 0800 807060, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111. All calls are confidential.”

A spokesman for Swale council said: “Swale Borough Council is part of a multi-agency group working to tackle illegal dumping on the Isle of Sheppey.

“The Environment Agency took court action to achieve a restriction order which has been effective in stopping the illegal dumping of waste.

“We will continue to work with our partners as we look for longer-term solutions.”

Mr Henderson believes that because it took the EA so long to stop the dumping a much larger clean-up operation is now needed.

He said: “If the Environment Agency had taken action immediately when I raised this with them almost three years ago the amount of stuff that was actually tipped over the cliffs wouldn't be as much as it is at the moment.

“I'm sure the dumping has stopped and the general waste being washed up on the beach is coming loose after the construction waste that was dumped on top of it is being washed away.

“It was a scandal and it is a scandal that it took so long for anybody to do something about it.”

Mr Henderson explained that the affected coastline isn't owned by the Environment Agency or by Swale council but by the Crown Estates.

He explained: “I don't believe the Crown Estates are in a position or are going to want to spend millions of pounds to clean the area up properly and I don't think they've got the resources to be able to do that.

“The Environment Agency, I think, are culpable because they took so long to take action to stop the tipping despite having been warned almost three years ago.

“I think morally it should be the Environment Agency that has to somehow fund or do the clean-up.”

Minster fossil hunter, Daniel Hogburn, has been in constant communication with the EA over the last three years and has questioned whose responsibility it is to clean up the area he loves.

He said: “The EA are pointing towards Swale council so they're just passing the buck.

“None of the agencies involved wanted to deal with the issue at hand when the dumping started.

“Sadly none of them seemed to care, I think it's such a widescale problem across the UK that they just ignore it. I've tried contacting all sorts of people and groups, even Extinction Rebellion wasn't interested.”

Natural England was also contacted for comment for clarification on how the area’s SSSI status (site of special scientific interest) would impact a cleanup.

A spokesman said:“We continue to monitor condition of the SSSI. We recently updated our assessment of the condition of the SSSI which confirms the site remains favourable to what make the cliffs a SSSI. Clearly, the issue of waste material and wider impact is taken seriously. The Environment Agency continues its criminal investigation into alleged waste crime, gathering evidence and working with Kent Police and other agencies across Swale.

“Anyone with new concerns about the handling of waste in the area should contact the Environment Agency immediately on 0800 807060, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111. All calls are confidential.