A fly-tipper will have to bear the cost of clearing huge roadside waste “posing a danger to traffic”.

In May 2021, Gravesham council was made aware of tipper lorries dumping waste in Church Road, Cobham, near Gravesend.

Its environmental enforcement team attended and found that a bund consisting of several tonnes of building waste and landscaping material, covered by topsoil, had been built.

It was around 365 metres in length, starting near the junction of Henhurst Road and going towards Ifield.

It had been created near the carriageway and some of the materials, including large pieces of concrete, had fallen onto the road surface which was causing a danger to traffic.

The bund had been built on top of hedging and other vegetation, burying it and obstructing a nearby drainage channel.

Later that month, the council was told a tipper truck was depositing more waste at the location.

Environmental enforcement officers attended and found a large tipper vehicle which belonged to a local haulage company depositing more waste.

Those responsible were spoken to and were unable to provide any details of permission or legal authority to deposit the waste. Investigations found the load had originated from a garden clearance in Gravesend.

The Environment Agency and Kent County Council, the landowner, confirmed that no permission or authorisation had been given to deposit the waste at the location.

An officer from the Environment Agency surveyed the site and found that the bund had been constructed from mixed waste items including soil, rubble and building materials.

The council identified the responsible person, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

“The person responsible now faces a significant bill, far in excess of the cost of disposing of the waste correctly in the first place...”

It has now been able to secure remediation of the site and the person responsible will have to foot the entire clearance bill.

Cllr John Burden, leader of Gravesham council, said: “This is an unusual case of fly-tipping on a large scale over a period of time.

“Thanks to the excellent work of our investigators supported by officials from partner organisations, the company responsible was quickly identified and we will be watching carefully to make sure they clear the waste.

“The person responsible now faces a significant bill, far in excess of the cost of disposing of the waste correctly in the first place, and the message is clear: if you fly tip in Gravesham, no matter who you are, no matter how big or small the incident, if we find you, you will be held responsible for your actions.”