Two areas of historic Kent woodland plagued by illegal dumping have had restriction orders placed on them extended.

Hoads Wood in Ashford and Eastchurch on the Isle of Sheppey were recently locked shut and covered by restriction orders from the Environment Agency meaning anyone entering the land “without reasonable excuse or written permission” from the body would be committing a criminal offence.

The order also included anyone who tampered with the lock or notice.

The restriction has now been extended for six months while the Environment Agency has also been granted a ‘warrant’ for access to Hoads Wood for the company who will be contracted to clear the waste from the site.

This is part of the preparation work for the clearance of the area.

Earlier this year KentOnline exclusively revealed how historic Kent woodland at Hoads Wood had been turned into a wasteland where tonnes of rubbish had been illegally dumped.

The site has since been shut down by the Environment Agency and the disposal of more than 27,000 tonnes of waste is expected to cost millions.

The wood, which has been a favourite fly-tipping spot for years has become the target of a campaign by wildlife presenter Chris Packham to see it cleaned up.

It was also where the body of 33-year-old Sarah Everard, murdered by Met Police officer Wayne Couzens, from Deal, was found in 2021.

She was discovered on a plot of the wood owned by Couzens.

The site in Eastchurch, at the end of Third Avenue, known locally as Eastchurch Gap, just around the corner was the site of illegal waste depositing by trucks for three years before the Environment Agency blocked access to the site last June.