The numbers show that tons of trash are left on the roadsides of Kent, and every year there are tens of thousands of fly-strike incidents in the county.

New statistics from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) show the southeast is one of the biggest offenders when it comes to illegal dumping.

Kent had 27,436 reports in 2021/22, with Medway as the hottest spot.

Towns had 4,569 fly-Tipping incidents last year, with Maidstone coming in second with 3,418.

Dartford was third with 3082 cases.

The least reporting was in Sevenoaks, where 707 offenses were reported.

The fine for small scale fly tipping is £400, rising to £50,000 in more serious cases. Each local authority sets its own figure.

Graph of fly-tipping incidents throughout the county

In December, an Ashford man was fined £1,300 after he paid two men in a van to haul away his rubbish, who then dumped it on Capel Road.

The fee was increased from £400 after he refused to pay the original fine.

In February, a school lane in Horton Kirby near Dartford was partially closed after a pile of loose waste was found along the road.

Kmfm addressed the issue of tipping flies on their March 2 breakfast podcast, when the hosts discussed a blue sofa that had been discarded on the Waynescot Bypass in Strood.

It became a hot topic for listeners and the show was inundated with calls about the infamous landmark. One caller even wrote “an ode to a chair.”

In the meantime, drivers have taken photos and videos showing how much debris is littering the main roads of Kent.

One concerned resident, Adrian Vines of Culverston near Gravesend, wrote a letter to his MP Adam Holloway (Cohn), hoping to resolve the litter problem at the Cyclopark roundabouts near the A227 and A2 junction.

The 66-year-old man said: “This has definitely been a problem for the last three or four years. No one did it – at first it was just dirty, but now it’s terrible.

“Things are out of control and it seems like everyone is shifting the blame onto others.

“In the past, I lived near Manila, not far from a place called Smoky Mountain, which was on the outskirts of the city. It’s not quite right yet, but it makes me think about it.

Debris along the M2 coast near Rochester. Pictured: Jen Allen

“I’ve lived all over the place, but the southeast is especially bad for tipping flies.”

In response to Adrian’s letter, Adam Holloway MP wrote back emphasizing that he had already made National Highways aware. Kent County Council and Operations Manager at Gravesham City Council.

“I was informed that garbage was collected at the side of the roundabout at the end of January, so I don’t know if that means the garbage is new.”

Sittingbourne and Sheppey MP Gordon Henderson (Kohn) says he is constantly being asked about the A249 litter problem.

He said: “I will continue to demand action from the National Highways, although we must remember that irresponsible motorists are throwing garbage out of their cars and these are the people who should be criticized.

Sittingbourne and Sheppey MP, Gordon Henderson (opponents)

“What we have to do is teach people not to throw trash in the first place.”

National Highways said it has weekly crews to clean sections of the A249 at the same time.

It stated: “Sweeping was carried out in both directions between Wormdale Bridge and Bobbing between January 17th and 25th.

“Then we took on the bypasses at Grovehurst and Bobbing, bringing the total amount of trash in 2022/23 to 8.5 tonnes, not including tipping.

“Recently, we removed about 1,500 books from the outskirts, and also removed larger debris such as tires, TVs, mattresses and refrigerators, as well as plastic film that got tangled in trees.

“We are also working with the Swale City Council to address the amount of trash that is currently being deposited.

“We attended a meeting with them on February 7th and we have another meeting scheduled.

“We believe a lot of the trash comes from loose loads on trucks being transported to and from the local waste treatment plant near Grovehurst Junction.”

Content Source