Petition: "We are writing to urgently bring to your attention the critical environmental crisis unfolding in Hoad’s Wood, Ashford, Kent. This cherished area of outstanding natural beauty, designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), is currently facing a dire situation due to rampant illegal waste dumping. What was once a vibrant habitat for diverse species is now a desolate wasteland, with domestic waste strewn across a 4-acre area, in some places reaching depths of over 12 feet.
Despite previous warnings from the community dating back as far as 2015, the current catastrophe began escalating in July 2023 when community members reported observing 20-30 trucks a day, many unregistered, illegally disposing of waste in Hoad’s Wood. Despite these early alerts, a lack of prompt and effective intervention allowed the situation to deteriorate drastically into an environmental catastrophe.
The consequences of this negligence are profound. The accumulation of waste not only poses a significant threat to the area’s biodiversity, undermining the habitat of local and rare flora and fauna, but it also adversely affects the well-being of the nearby community. The environmental degradation and potential health hazards this situation presents are intolerable.