In a once scenic ancient woodland outside Ashford, an enormous biohazard cleanup operation is under way to remove the toxic aftermath of the criminal dumping of 35,000 tonnes of rubbish.

Tankers come and go along a new road, built for the purpose. Behind metal gates away from public view, specialists in hazmat suits dig through the mountain of waste dumped on an industrial scale in a woodland that is a protected site of special scientific interest.

The £15m cleanup of Hoad’s Wood in Kent began this summer, five long years after local residents first started to complain about illegal dumping in the protected woodland. In some cases they provided the names of companies involved and footage of the activities to the police, the local authority and the Environment Agency .

It took a tenaci

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