Rural campaigners are calling for urgent action against organised waste crime after three men were arrested for industrial scale fly-tipping in a protected site.
Hoad's Wood, an ancient woodland near Ashford, Kent, was buried under 30,000 tonnes of household and construction waste.
Residents reported to authorities last year that up to 20-30 trucks a day were dumping waste in the beauty spot, which is a site of special scientific interest (SSSI).
An investigation was launched regarding the "environmental disaster", and Kent Police have now arrested three men in connection with the criminal operation.
Now rural campaigners at the Countryside Alliance have raised concerns over what it says could be a nationwide problem.
Fly-tipping is one of the more common crimes affecting the countryside, causing serious issues for those who are left to deal with it.
However, it is the only crime where the victims - private landowners - have a legal responsibility to dispose of the waste.
The alliance's most recent rural crime survey found that 37% of crime victims had suffered from fly-tipping. The average cost to clean up an incident is £800.
Despite the blight, only 1 in 600 incidents of fly-tipping lead to a prosecution, with the most common punishment being a fine of less than £430.
In December last year, the BBC reported on a fly-tipping victim who felt the full effects of this unjust and ridiculous situation.
Josiah Jones, a farmer in Kent, had five incidents of fly-tipping on his land over the course of 2024. He was quoted £3,000 for the removal of the largest load.
Mr Jones stated that he had given up trying to remove rubbish on his land, which often blocked access points and caused damage to fencing, due to the high removal costs.
There were some 1.08 million incidents of illegal dumping in 2022/2023, most recent national data shows.
Both the problem and the costs to local authorities are growing, with estimates of the true costs of fly-tipping between £100m and £150m each year.
As part of the group’s ongoing anti-fly-tipping campaign, the Countryside Alliance is pushing for tougher penalties on perpetrators.
It is also calling for increased investment in education, greater support for farmers and landowners, and improved access to Civic Amenity sites.
Johnnie Furse, a spokesman for the alliance, said: "Fly-tipping is a serious issue that causes misery to both urban and rural communities throughout the UK.
"In just the past month, industrial-scale deposits by organised criminal gangs have been made in several counties across the country, many of them having incredibly detrimental effects on the livelihoods of victims."
He said it was vital for tougher laws to crack down on the crime and for the public to understand their duty of care when allowing others to take their waste.
"If your waste is fly-tipped illegally and it has your name and address on anything, you could be prosecuted for failing to dispose of your waste legally," Mr Furse said.
"Please take care to ensure that you only arrange for your waste to be removed by licensed waste disposal companies.
"In doing so, you are saving yourself from the risk of prosecution, and saving many others from the threat of potentially livelihood-affecting fly-tipping."
