The 39,500-tonne illegal waste site in Hoad’s Wood, Kent, has now been cleared for £15 million.
The Environment Agency first opened an investigation into illegal waste dumping at the ancient woodland, a Site of Special Scientific Interest with rare plants and wildlife, in 2023.
The site was targeted by an organised crime group, which piled waste up to 15 feet high in places before the Environment Agency prevented access to the area.
In a letter to then Environment Secretary Steve Barclay, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency, Philip Duffy, recommended making £15m available to fund the clearance of the site.
The dump has now been entirely cleared as part of an operation, led by the Environment Agency and carried out by Acumen Waste Services Ltd, involving more than 50 specialist workers.
The Environment Agency says that access to the site will remain restricted to give ‘nature the space and time it needs to recover’.
Commenting on the operation, Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle said: “Handing this ancient woodland back to local people, alongside our nationwide clean-up of waste sites, shows just how serious we are about restoring the places people love.”
In February, three people were arrested by the Environment Agency, Kent Police and the Joint Unit for Waste Crime as part of an investigation into the illegal dumping.
