Clean up operation continues on Hythe Green after human waste and fly-tipping is left behind
13:30, 21 May 2021
updated: 13:32, 21 May 2021
Fourteen bags of human waste weighing 150kg have been collected from a green in Hythe as part of a major clean up operation.
The defecation and urine was found alongside dirty nappies and tissues at both the children's playground and in the wooded part of the green, which is off Portland Road.
WARNING: Some graphic images below
Hythe Town Council employed professional cleaners to remove the potentially dangerous and unpleasant waste, with firm DB Environmental spending two days on site to sanitise the area and make it safe.
In total, they collected 14 bags of human waste, weighing 150kg, before taking it to a bio-hazardous waste disposal site.
The clean-up started on Tuesday and came as an unauthorised encampment left the land after the council instructed a solicitor.
The green, used for the likes of boot fairs and community events, was also subjected to litter, damaged barriers, fly-tipping and burnt grass.
Volunteers and members of the Hythe Green Preservation Society (HGPS) and Litter Picking Watch Romney Marsh are continuing to work tirelessly to clear the area, which is still closed off to the public.
A boot fair was also cancelled due to the state of the site.
Stephen Bailey, member of HGPS and owner of Stephen Bailey Landscapes, said: "A vast quantity of fly-tipping has been left behind. This includes logs and wood chips. There are areas of burnt ground.
"But probably the worse of it is the human waste that was left, on the play parks and in the woods.
"The professional cleaners said it was the worse they have ever seen."
Photos show used tissues among the trees and feaces left on the play equipment.
Mr Bailey continued: "On top of all this, there was a lot of litter.
"The cleaners were here for two days and the litter pickers are now on day four.
"We've had to secure the site too. Everyone has been so brilliant helping with the clear up."
Richard Bateman, the chair of HGPS, said: "Although we are disgusted by the destruction, we have been heartened by the people who have rallied around to help clean up the green."
More provisions are now being added to the land to prevent any future issues. This includes adding more trees and earth mounds so vehicles can not be driven onto the green.
HGPS is also campaigning to create Hythe Green Wood and is hoping to raise £6,500 for the project.
It would see 35 semi-mature native trees planted to help screen a factory and reduce the noise it makes, offer an enhanced environment for wildlife, and also provide an improved amenity to a public space.
To donate to the fundraiser, visit spacehive.com/hythegreenwood
Four bird boxes, which had been placed in trees earlier this year, have also been reported stolen from the same green.
There is also evidence the nests from inside the boxes were removed and discarded on the ground. A dead chick was also found close by.
Signs and bollards have also been taken.
A spokesman for the police said: "Kent Police was contacted at 12.15pm on Friday, May 21 and it was reported that bird nesting boxes, information signs and timber bollards had been stolen from land near Portland Road, Hythe.
"Officers are carrying out initial enquiries to establish the circumstances."
