Action over tipping

A FARMER from Herstmonceux who has been using his land as a dumping ground may be forced to stop it and tidy up.

Refuse trucks, road sweepers and lorries have been seen entering Lime End Farm in Church Road to deposit waste materials including sub-soil, metals, plastics, wood, hardcore and reinforced concrete.

Members of the Wealden planning committee were yesterday urged to authorise enforcement action which would require the landowner, John Ford, to stop using his farm as a makeshift landfill site and remove all waste that has already been buried there.

The site in question is agricultural land between Church Road and the A271 Herstmonceux road. It is in close proximity to a protected Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

At a point where the natural contours of the land create a gently sloping valley, the top soil has been stripped for a width of about 70 metres and waste materials dumped in the gap, say Wealden officers.

This has created a raised 'platform' about five metres in height which protrudes from the side of the valley. It can be seen from public footpaths crossing the land and neighbouring properties.

Officers reported that in a meeting with the farmer they were told that the contours of the land were being modified to facilitate the movement of slurry.

Council officers have concluded that this development has, in terms of size and appearance, created an unnatural feature on the rural landscape which looks entirely out of place.

Also, there are concerns that some of the materials that have been deposited may cause pollution if they are left in the land for long, especially the plastics, metals and wood.

Therefore, these 'non-inert' items will have to be removed and the others dispersed to retain the integrity of the land.